Davis community helps provide masks in response to shortages

PHOTO: Due to widespread mask shortages, members of the community have come up with creative methods to provide face coverings.

By Juju Miyamoto and Gabe Lee,

BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

Before coronavirus (COVID-19) was even present in the United States, senior Kimberly Liu was warned that the initial outbreak and panic in China would be shared with the rest of the world. “My grandmother lives in Wuhan and […] she warned that the same thing would happen in America and the rest of the world,” Liu said. “I thought she was overreacting when I first heard about the pandemic from her side […] it just feels surreal that all her predictions came true.”

Because of the outbreak, hospitals around the country have struggled to find essential medical supplies to care for the affected patients. Masks especially have become scarce.

With 116 confirmed cases as of April 15, the virus has become increasingly prominent in the Yolo County area. As a result, these scarcities have also hit the community. Liu, many other community members and businesses have stepped up to combat the spread of the disease by providing supplies and enforcing county protocols.

Liu is doing her part of providing for the community by coordinating shipments of face masks and safety goggles to be sent to Dignity Health hospitals in Davis and Woodland. The effort to distribute supplies is a result of the Chinese American community coming together and communicating through WeChat to bring individuals together “who want to help local hospitals.”

So far, 1,200 masks and 100 safety goggles have been sent from China, with 700 more face masks donations planned to be sent.

“We thought that now is the right time for everyone to do their part to mitigate the spread of this deadly virus. This is the shared goal for everyone in the community,” Liu said.

Following the same initiative, fellow senior Kaylee Morgan has spent her shelter-in-place making “face shields” after her neighbor, an emergency room doctor, approached her with the opportunity after the emergency room had run out. Morgan jumped at the chance to help.

“I was motivated mostly because I thought it was a cool idea that could end up growing a lot,” Morgan said.

Along with a small group called Team SHIELD, Morgan constructs masks made primarily out of laminated paper. SHIELD stands for “Students Helping in Emergencies and Life Disaster,” and the organization has already made and distributed over 1,000 masks.

“I am so grateful to be able to give back to the community since I have so much free time now,” Morgan said.

Other community members have gathered together on different platforms to provide their support and contribute supplies. One FaceBook page, Yolo County Mask-Making for COVID-19, has created a space for individuals to share resources and ideas on how to distribute face masks for surrounding community members. 

Although citywide health protocols are regulated by the county, individual businesses have decision-making power within their own stores.

In order to do their part in combatting the pandemic, businesses have begun enforcing their own health policies. While most grocery stores attempt to keep the shoppers at a six feet distance, Nugget has also enforced a policy where customers and employees must wear some form of face covering while in the store. 

“They have created these policies not only for the safety of the guests of the store, to make sure that people feel comfortable shopping for essential needs, but for the workers’ safety as well,” Nugget employee and senior Lily Linaweaver said.

Along with Nugget, other stores around Davis have implemented new safety protocols, such as installing plexiglass screens between cashiers and shoppers, improving sanitation systems for shopping carts and encouraging customers to use the store’s disposable bags rather than bringing reusable bags from home.

According to City of Davis Communications Officer Barbara Archer, the city is doing all it can to help coordinate these movements. Above all though, it is up to the individual to help make a difference.

Archer’s message is simple: “stay home, don’t gather.”

For more information on the county’s policies and how you can get involved, visit yolocounty.org/health-human-services, teamshieldnorcal.squarespace.com and the Yolo County Mask-Making for COVID-19 page on facebook.