Coronavirus: officers join inmates at Hong Kong’s prison mask factory
- Correctional Services Department brings in volunteers to boost production to 90,000 a day, as the deadly outbreak stretches supplies
Hong Kong prison chiefs have recruited 60 correctional workers to join inmates making face masks behind bars, to boost production to 90,000 a day as the deadly coronavirus outbreak stretches supplies.
The new production level exceeded the daily target of 70,000 previously announced by the Correctional Services Department, which let female inmates at Lo Wu Correctional Institution volunteer to make face masks around the clock from Monday. Before that, they made 45,000 masks a day.
A prison source with knowledge of the production said on Tuesday a few inmates had raised their hands for the job, and that not everyone held at the prison was fit for the job, as workers need to be in good health. The insider said the department had recently invited staff to volunteer, and so far about 60 were willing to help in their spare time.
“Both genders are welcome. The volunteers will take the 4pm-midnight shift daily and learn on the job,” the source said, adding that the extra production would be for government use.
“The entire supply is for the Government Logistics Department (GLD) and it is up to officials to decide who can use the masks.”
The GLD – which is required to maintain a stock of 10 million masks – said previously that it got an average of 1.1 million of the coverings a month from the prison authority, issuing them to different government departments.
The prison authority plans to build an extra factory within a month to further boost production to up to 140,000 per day.
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Shiu Ka-chun, who represents the social work sector in the legislature, criticised the government, saying it was shifting the responsibility of solving mask supply to prisoners.
But the prison source said the inmates took the extra task of their own free will, and had signed a contract.
