During the black plague, they used the same masks that Georgia now produces, said Paata Imnadze, deputy head of the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health of Georgia.
Reusable gauze face masks of Georgian origin appeared in the leading pharmacies of the country at a subsidized price of 50 tetri (15 cents) apiece.
The production cost of one mask is more than one lari (30 cents), but for them to be available to everyone, the government decided to subsidize production.
“It’s bad that I have to explain it. For many years during the black death, similar masks were used. There were no disposable masks at all. Let them read recommendations of the Center for Disease Control,” Imnadze noted to ones that were sceptical regarding the quality.
The head of the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health of Georgia Amiran Gamkrelidze also commented on the situation. According to him, the masks produced in Georgia were tested by the centre’s specialists, and they are stitched according to the recommendations of experts.
Gela Geladze, Shota Tsanava are high-level experts in this field. They checked and wrote that for home use these masks are perfectly acceptable, and for reusable use too. They can be washed in hot water and then ironed. For medical purposes, they can be used once,” Gamkrelidze said.
To date, nine enterprises are sewing masks in Georgia. They changed their profile after a shortage of medical masks and other protective equipment in the country. Sewing factories sew masks for free, and the state provides them with raw materials.