EDITORIAL: Thanks to those assembling masks for health care workers

Amidst the fear and uncertainty caused by the novel coronavirus, there has been positive news of individuals and organizations stepping up to support one another.

The Southeast Missourian reported recently on a few people who are making masks and donating them to health care providers. Betty Carroll is one. She has transformed her home into a small mask-making operation to assist Saint Francis Medical Center.

"We're just doing the fabric right now," she told Southeast Missourian reporter Rachael Long. "We wanted to be able to give every colleague a mask just for some type of protection, so we produced as fast as we could with what we have."

Will Perry, a veteran and real estate agent, put his 3D printer to work using a mask pattern found online. Daniel Glasco, a tailor by profession, has partnered with his church, Cape First Church, in an effort to produce 75 to 100 masks per day.

These are only a few examples. Some are well coordinated, while others are more organic. We've seen photos of families gathered around dining room tables to assemble masks, combining a family activity with a noble cause. Every mask counts. So whether you're making 10 or 100, each one can be put to good use.

To each person supporting the cause, we offer our thanks.