Flemish company develops own mouth masks following shortage

Flemish company develops own mouth masks following shortage
Credit: Belga

A company from the municipality of Kruibeke in the province of East Flanders has developed its own mouth masks in 10 days, as the stocks are shrinking because of the coronavirus (Covid-19).

The Bauwelinck Haircap company produces several types of hygienic headgear, for pharmaceutical companies as well as for different companies in the food industry.

"As soon as we heard there was a shortage of mouth masks, we started to develop," said Agnes Bauwelinck, who started the company, on Radio 2 on Friday. "Making mouth masks is completely different from making hairnets. You cannot really compare them, but I still managed to develop the masks in 10 days. Designing them took about 3 days. After that, we had to wait for the right materials and then the production could get started," she added.

"We are one of the only ones in Belgium that are still producing mouth masks, so there are a lot of customers," one of the employees said to VRT. "Additionally, the government is urgently asking for more masks for hospitals, but we will need a certificate to deliver our masks for that," she said, adding that the conditions for such a certificate are very strict.

"Usually, it takes up to three weeks for a certificate, but an emergency procedure has been started for us," she added. If all goes according to plan, Haircap will be able to supply mouth masks to hospitals and pharmaceutical institutions from the end of next week.

Maïthé Chini

The Brussels Times


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