The world of Tzu Chi April 2020 (Vol.121)

eature A s the number of Covid-19 cases continues to rise, Tzu Chi volunteers nationwide have been mobilized to produce more than 110,000 face shields to help public and private medical institutions cope with the overwhelming demand for protective equipment, enabling healthcare personnel to concentrate on saving lives. On March 18, 2020, the day the MCO came into effect, volunteers began assembling face shields at the dining area of the KL Tzu-Chi Jing Si Hall. The volunteers, who were only allowed to participate upon declaring a clean bill of health, observed social distancing measures, as the tables were arranged one metre apart to form three assembly lines, with three volunteers seated around each table at a safe distance from each other. In addition, the volunteers had to undergo mandatory temperature checks and sanitize their hands at the entrance, as well as wear face masks, gloves and protective caps. Tzu Chi KL & Selangor first started assembling protective face shields upon the request of the Sungai Buloh Hospital, whose staff used up to 1,000 face shields per day Reported by Lim Li Tian, Chong Yoon Ming & Lau Poh Ling Translated by Choo Suet Fun Tzu Chi volunteers devoted their time and effort to supporting frontline medical personnel, who have been working tirelessly around the clock to contain the spread of Covid-19. All hands on deck Assembling face shields Watch the video at: [Photograph by Sam Pin Fook] even when the Covid-19 situation was still manageable. Following that, Tzu Chi KL & Selangor reached out to other healthcare institutions and began accepting applications from public as well as private hospitals and clinics for supplies of face shields. Currently, the demand for face shields stands at over 80,000 pieces. The completed face shields have been distributed to various healthcare institutions, such as Klinik Kesihatan Kuang in Rawang and Klinik Mediviron in Kajang. 2020 • 04 08