St. Thomas USVI Daily News
Knowing the limited resources available in the U.S. Virgin Islands, many island sewers have taken up the call to make masks to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
Watching the news, Linda Evans realized that living on an island, “the odds of getting enough face masks for this population wasn’t going to happen if you’re outside the medical field.”
After two weeks of research and checking Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, Evans came up with her own masks using scrap material she had on hand for quilting and has been producing up to 30 a day while in self-quarantine at her Frenchtown, St. Thomas, home.
“I watched so many videos and realized some of the ideas were great and others weren’t, so I started taking the best of what I saw and started putting it together,” Evans said.
“I sent a picture of what I came up with to a nurse who gave me a couple of suggestions, which I have incorporated into this product that I am now producing,” she said. “I looked at what the CDC wants in the face masks and I have covered all the bases.”
Her washable masks include two layers of 100 percent cotton as well as a layer of flannel, with a pocket for an addition filter such as a coffee filter, HEPA filter or other non-woven material.
“This mask will not give you 100 percent coverage,” she warns. “I’m not guaranteeing you’re not going to get the virus by wearing this mask, but what I am saying is that you are going to help stop the transmission of this virus by wearing some sort of mask. Something is better than nothing.”