Government set to spend £14m on mass production of face coverings

The government has begun production on a face-covering scheme that will aim to make a million garments a week. 

The profit-less plan is part of the governments £14m investment announced this morning by Michael Gove.

Two suppliers in Port Talbot, Wales and Blackburn have begun producing ‘high quality’ face coverings and.a third site is set to open in Livingston, Scotland in coming weeks.

It comes following recent updates in legislation that now requires face-coverings to be worn in shops and supermarkets from July 24th. 

The government has also issued guidance to wearing face coverings in closed public spaces where it is harder to socially distance.

Mr Gove said: “This is a major step to ensure that this country can meet any increase in demand for face coverings by working with British firms to establish the capability, capacity and skills required to manufacture these items at scale.

“These production lines will be able to get millions of face coverings to the public, without putting any additional pressure on NHS supply chains.”

According to the Cabinet Office, the government has bought 10 production lines with 34 tonnes of equipment and machinery. A further 10 have been commissioned by Coventry-based automative company, Expert Tooling and Automation Ltd. 

The manufacturers are expected to produce millions of masks a week as part of the government’s investment in production lines that has totalled £14m. 

The Cabinet Office has said these production sites will ensure the public demand for face coverings does not impact on the supply of higher-grade face masks for NHS frontline staff. They have also explained that materials will be sourced from UK manufacturers.

There are some concerns regarding the up-take of mask-wearing with the latest research showing a gender-divide in wearing a mask. Men see wearing a mask as “shameful, not cool and a sign of weakness”, according to a survey of 2,500 people in the US.

The research explains that women are twice as likely to wear a mask than men despite official statistics showing coronavirus affects men more than women. The scientists attribute this to a belief from the men in the survey that ‘they will be less affected by the disease’. 

A behavioural scientist in Copenhagen, Christina Gravert, explains that the gender-divide can be explained due to the different approaches taken to risk by men and women, something which has been seen in previous pandemics. 

Gravert explains that the now mandatory wearing of masks will make more men following public advice.

She also explains that a different approach to awareness campaigns is needed for men as often it is overconfidence and selfishness that is the problem. She says “If we take it seriously that men on average are less altruistic and more selfish, then communication should focus less on protecting others and more on protecting oneself,”.

The face masks produced as part of the latest government investment will be disposable, single-use items that comply with face-covering specifications despite increasingly important concerns for the environment on the mass consumption of single-use PPE. 

Face masks are easy to make from spare materials, including old t-shirts, at home. You can find more about making reusable safe face masks here.