Medical company to donate masks in Ludlow
A manufacturer of medical face masks is to visit Ludlow to give away piles of face masks.
Ultrafilter Medical, a Ross-on-Wye manufacturer of medical-grade face masks, will visit the town on Saturday, February 5, as part of its ‘Big Mask Giveaway’ campaign, which will see the company donate one million masks across the country.
While face coverings will no longer be compulsory in England, the Government still advises that they should be worn in enclosed or crowded places.
Families who would otherwise struggle to afford masks will be welcome to collect a box of 50 UK-manufactured, medical-grade masks free of charge from Event Square in front of Ludlow Castle between 11am and 1pm February 5. The type-IIR masks are used by frontline workers, including employees of Wye Valley NHS Trust, Herefordshire Council, the Swiss government and hospitals across Germany.
Dean Kronsbein, co-founder and chairman of Ultrafilter Medical, said: “Wearing a mask has consistently been shown to be one of the key ways to reduce the spread of Covid-19, limiting the amount of virus transmitted by infected people and also offering a reduction in the amount of virus inhaled by mask wearers.
“While vaccination is a key part of the fight against Covid-19, the prevalence of the Omicron variant means our health services continue to be under pressure. Wearing a medical-grade face mask in public spaces is one of the simplest things we can all do to protect ourselves, our vulnerable loved ones and our national health services.”
Ludlow MP Philip Dunne added: “I am extremely grateful to Ultrafilter, who started giving away one million facemasks in boxes of 50 for free last month. I know there will be local people who are concerned about the rising cost of living, and I have encouraged the local food bank and others to collect some for those in need, so they do not have to bear the cost of buying new masks.”
The first Big Mask Giveaway in Ross-on-Wye saw Ultrafilter Medical donate 100,000 masks to local families. It has also launched an online shop to allow members of the public to order masks directly from its factory.