UK fashion firm makes gowns for health workers amid Coronavirus crisis

A UK factory, better known for producing high-street clothes, has pivoted to making Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and medical garments for hospitals as a response to the outbreak of the new coronavirus in Britain.

Factory Enter is a 14-year-old London-based British manufacturer which has been operating over the last few years targeting the high-street market as well as producing garments for online shop, Asos.

The current shortage of garments in hospitals and the difficulty in receiving deliveries from regular Chinese suppliers has created the necessity to find alternative suppliers in the UK with immediate capacity to respond to this situation.

Fashion Enter chief executive Jennifer Holloway had attempted to contact the British government three times to offer help, and on 27 March received an order of 10,000 units of PPE for frontline healthcare staff.

The company is now working tirelessly to meet a delivery deadline of 6 April.

According to Holloway, the staff is very proud to support key workers and those who are in the frontline fighting the coronavirus epidemic.

The UK currently has 38,698 infections with the new coronavirus, with 3,612 deaths.

As the number of infections has grown to more than 1.1 million worldwide, health care systems are straining under the surge of patients and lack of medical equipment like ventilators as well as protective masks and gloves, giving rise to growing concerns about the exposure of hospital personnel. For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover.

Image Credits: AP