As the country battles with the pandemic, Atul Jain from Atul Jewellers has taken upon his shoulder to supply free surgical face masks to sanitation workers, shopkeepers, food delivery, health workers, vegetable/fruit sellers, milk distributors, and other such 'real heroes' who are continuously working to keep us safe.
With a network of over 50 people supporting him, Jain has tied up with a face mask producing company with whom he got in touch through an NGO that had initially approached him for face masks for the Medical Social Welfare Unit of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
"Within the first two-three days of the 21-day lockdown, we realised there was an acute shortage of face masks in the market. Many of our clients are based in Delhi, and we messaged asking them if they need face masks for themselves or for others, like the guards of their colony or the milk or vegetable vendors, and that we can ship them a packet of 50 face masks," shares Jain, who has by now distributed 800 face masks, plus the 1,000 sent to AIIMS.
As Jain was trying to approach people who were in dire need of face masks, many were initially apprehensive of the cost. However, Jain is distributing these for free, after taking proper precautions and permissions.
These surgical masks are multi-layered. Each have an outer layer of spun-bond polypropylene, a second layer of cellulose/polyester, third layer of melt-blown polypropylene filter material and an inner (fourth) layer of spun-bound polypropylene, and this makes it a certified protective mask. "I have tied up with an online courier company, who collect the packages from my home and deliver it across Delhi," adds Jain.
The Medical Social Welfare Unit of AIIMS has approached Jain yet again through the same NGO for cloth masks as the surgical masks are needed for the doctors and frontline health workers.
"We have found out a company in Meerut that manufactures a particular cloth, used in face mask. We have sourced cloth for 20,000 masks from them. One of my clients helped me get special permission from Posts and Telegraph Department and they are helping us pickup our parcels deliver it to us in Delhi. Another NGO is getting it stitched, to further deliver those to AIIMS," says Jain, who always carries a packet of face masks whenever he steps out to shop for essentials. "...for the one in need," he says.