Coronavirus outbreak: Luxury brand Chanel to produce face masks to cope with global demand

Luxury fashion brand Chanel on March 29 announced that it will turn its workshops into facilities to produce face masks amid global shortage of the protective equipment due to coronavirus pandemic. According to reports, prototypes of masks are being worked on and the production will begin after the company recieves a go ahead from the French government. 

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As per reports, Chanel in a statement said that the company is mobilising its workforce and partners to produce face masks. The shortage of protective gear is gripping hard on France and other European countries after coronavirus cases escalated in the region. France's health minister Olivier Veran on March 29 said that the government had ordered more than a billion masks that is scheduled to arrive in the country in the coming weeks and months. Olivier also pointed out that France is using more than 40 million masks per week. 

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Their is also a shortage of protective gloves as the largest manufacturer on March 29 said that the demand is 50 to 80% high than daily production. Malaysia's Top Glove said that demand from Europe and America is at all time high with some customers ordering 20 containers compared to 10 before outbreak. The demand has increased by 100%, company top executive told the press. 

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Coronavirus outbreak

COVID-19 has claimed more than 31,900 lives across the world and has infected more than 6,80,000 people globally since it first broke out in December 2019. China was the most affected country until last week before Italy and Spain surpassed it to record the most number of deaths anywhere in the world due to COVID-19. The virus is believed to have originated from a seafood market in China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the disease, where animals were reportedly being traded illegally. WHO also declared Coronavirus as a pandemic.

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