An outdoors art exhibition, set up in conjunction with Nice Cote d’Azur, pays tribute to all the mask wearers during the pandemic. Read more here
Contact: Jérôme Sieurin
Tag: masks
Milan – Security matters
As Italy moves into a new phase of emergency management, thus closing phase 2 of the lockdown, the Municipality of Milan has compiled figures on how it has stepped up to bolster the health system and ensure compliance with lockdown measures. This includes the provision of over 2 million face masks and conducting more than 15,000 controls to monitor whether regulations are being followed. Read more here
Contact: Olimpia Vaccarino Aureli
Vilnius – Masks for the elderly
Vilnius has given 2,000 reusable face masks to senior citizens. As the Lithuanian government is moving ahead with easing quarantine, free food support to the most vulnerable people is being replaced with reusable face masks. Seniors, disabled people and other Vilnius residents at risk, little by little are starting to move around the city and supermarkets. Therefore, Vilnius Municipality decided give them free reusable face masks with the symbol of the capital and flyers with recommendations on how to protect yourself. More information here.
Contact: Jurga Pociūtė-Mikūtienė
Nice – Apollo leads by example
The Greek god Apollo plays by the corona rules. The seven metres high marble statue by Alfred Janniot in Nice is wearing a mask now, tailor-made by the city, after the association of the sculptor allowed the installation.
Contact: Jérôme Sieurin
Poznan – Masks for seniors by seniors
The City of Poznan, along with foundations and non-governmental organisations, has started the ‘Seniorro Masks’ campaign, where seniors sew protective masks for seniors. The material is provided together with instructions and patterns. Volunteers work together applying physical distancing and using face protection themselves. Masks are treated before distribution. Read more here (in Polish)
Contact: Anna Aleksandrzak
Guimaraes – Nursing homes open for visitors again
Old people living in nursing homes in Guimaraes, Portugal, can receive visitors again from next week, following the lockdown due the corona pandemic. The municipality is providing masks and other protective material and has established special regulation. In a first stage, each resident should have only one visitor, once a week, and the visits must not exceed 90 minutes. You can read more here (in Portuguese)
Contact: Crisalia Alves
Muenster – Free masks on Europe Day
Ahead of Europe Day on 9 May, the city of Muenster, Germany, handed out 5,000 free face masks with the design of the European flag. As part of the gradual easing of corona related restrictions, the masks are to symbolise the solidarity and protection of all Europeans. Markus Lewe, Lord Mayor of Muenster, personally took part in the campaign, as you can see in the video.
Contact: Anna Chevtchenko
Paris – Easing the lockdown
Reopening schools with small groups of pupils, making face masks mandatory in the metro and devoting roads to biking, to prevent an intensive surge in car use – these are some of the steps out of the corona lockdown in Paris. The city has compiled a summary of measures. You can download the document here
Contact: Jean-Yves Camus
Beşiktaş – Waste collection of masks and gloves
Dedicated bins for masks and gloves were placed at certain key points such as public institutions, markets and family health centres. The medical waste thrown into the waste bins will be duly disposed after they are properly collected.
The current protective equipment recommendations is also bringing along the problem of medical waste. Uncontrolled disposal of waste masks and gloves may increase the risk of citizens’ being infected. For this reason, Beşiktaş municipality started implementing a different practice for a proper waste management. Read more here (in Turkish)
Contact: foreignaffairs@besiktas.bel.tr
Nantes – Supporting citizens’ initiatives
On 20 March, the City of Nantes set up a mutual aid platform to collect donations, facilitate and support initiatives, recruit citizen volunteers and collect information on the needs of the people of Nantes. The 15 or so agents involved were able to ensure 2,000 contacts and connections. Nearly 750 Nantes citizens have applied for volunteer missions and 300 of them have already been mobilized to help with shopping, food distribution, supporting families, medical and social institutions and making deliveries. More information (in French) here.
In order to support initiatives for the manufacture of masks for the general public made of fabric, to meet the demands of professionals and individuals, the city has set up a system, ‘A vos masques’. The city also supports the Association Des Femmes en Fil (Women in Thread) which brings together some 15 neighbourhood associations and already more than 100 seamstresses with the aim of making 15,000 masks for Nantes neighbourhoods. More information (in French) here.
Contact: Nicolas Joffraud
Vilnius – Mask Fashion Week
The streets of Vilnius are currently dotted with giant photos of people wearing protective masks made in creative way. The images are part of a new project called Mask Fashion Week, which drew its inspiration from members of a Facebook group known as Mask Your Fashion. Unlike a traditional fashion week, the project is open to everyone: the city streets have become a runway. While still adhering to safety recommendations, audiences are invited to travel the Mask Fashion Week route through the city by foot or in their cars and reflect on the role and look of the new accessory that has unexpectedly become part of our day-to-day lives. The city’s outdoor advertising stands now feature photos of masked project participants with the slogan ‘Creativity Cannot be Masked’. You can read more here
Dusseldorf – Masks for all
Since wearing a mask in public transportation and shops is compulsory now, city staff of Dusseldorf and volunteers are distributing masks on different places in the city. For the elderly, 50,000 hygiene kits including masks have been prepared and can be ordered for home delivery. Additional 15,000 masks have been donated for refugees. With online videos, the city shows how to sew your own mask. You can read more here and here (in German)
Contact: Stefanie Nietfeld
Muenster – City hands out EU face masks
Ahead of Europe Day (9 May), the City of Muenster plans to hand out 5,000 free Europe themed face masks to the public. As part of the gradual easing of Corona related restrictions in everyday public life, the masks are to symbolise the solidarity and protection of all Europeans.
arkt, Munster’s main city centre street, with EU flags on the day
Contact: Anna Chevtchenko
Barcelona – Public private collaboration
At around 200 production points, including at sites owned by civil society and private organisations, Barcelona city council is aiming to manufacture 300,000 textile masks for staff working in sectors deemed essential. Read more here
Contact: Marta Puchal
Vienna – Sewing masks
Employees of the facility management department of the City of Vienna decided to sew 2,500 masks in order to protect their colleagues. 50 female room attendants decided to take matters into their own hands and to produce masks to equip all their colleagues with reusable (and washable at 60 degrees) cotton masks. Luckily, a remaining stock of a total of 77 metres of dark grey cotton fabric could be purchased on a short notice; and a workshop to produce a prototype was organised.
Continue reading “Vienna – Sewing masks”Izmir – Masks at metro stations
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality has started placing ‘maskmatic’ machine in its busiest metro stations. Residents can access a pack of four masks, along with 100 millilitres of disinfectant, for free by using their Izmirim transportation card. Read more here
Nice – Masks for the homeless
The city will work with local associations to reach out to homeless people to provide them all with masks. Read more here (in French)
Contact: Jérôme Sieurin
Ourense – Mask making at home
Thousands of 3D-printed view-masks are made at home by citizens with the assitance from the Knowledge Center La Molinera. This initiative is coordinated by the City Council of Ourense and providing equipment protection to health professionals, security forces, local business and citizens. Watch a video from the initiative here
Contact: Jorge Pumar Tesouro
Nice – Free masks
Nice is giving free masks to residents. With their 2019 tax form they can apply and will receive a mask in a few days at the location they provide. More information (in French) here.
Contact: Jérôme Sieurin
Glasgow – 3D-printed protections
Glasgow Caledonian University has launched a 3D-printing operation creating face shields for doctors and nurses in urgent need of protective equipment. The University has also donated a range of other protective equipment including gloves and disposable aprons. Read more here
Contact: Joe Brady
Nice – 25 tons of protective equipment from China
750,000 masks, gowns, overalls, gloves and floats for protection against infection with the corona virus have arrived in Nice. The equipment arrived in a cargo plane from China on Easter Monday. The 25 tons of medical equipment are destined for the Nice University Hospital and public services carrying out a priority mission. You can read more here (in French)
Contact: Jérôme Sieurin
Pendik – City manufactures masks
Pendik Municipality has started to produce its own masks to be used by its personnel. Thousands of masks have been produced within a day.
The masks will be used by its personnel and visitors of municipality buildings. Read more (in Turkish) here.
Contact: Oğuz Karakaya
Muratpaşa – Mask distribution
In Antalya, Muratpaşa Municipality has established a small army for the distribution of 450,000 masks in the district. A fully equipped team of 250 people started to distribute these washable masks from house to house.
The teams will deliver 3 washable masks and mask bags with a warning message against the corona virus to every household in the district. Those who are not at home are left with masks on their doors. Read more (in Turkish) here.
Contact: Ibrahim Utku
Antalya Muratpaşa – Printing masks
Antalya Muratpaşa Municipality has started to produce face shields with 3D printers. 3D printing has allowed the municipality to produce 2,150 visors within three days, which have been distributed to professionals at risk, especially those working in hospitals. Read more (in Turkish) here.
The municipality is also working on many other hygiene measures, including disinfecting public areas, markets, service buildings and cultural locations such as Hadrian’s Gate. Read more (in Turkish) here. Ozone rooms for disinfecting people who enter the main municipal building have also been set up. Read more (in Turkish) here.
Contact: Ibrahim Utku
Brno – Free face masks for the homeless
Face masks are handed out for free to homeless people by the Social Care Department and the city police of Brno, Czechia. The city has set up a container to collect used masks which are disinfected and then given out again. Brno provides information on the corona measures in six languages: Czech and English, and abridged versions in Russian, Romanian, Arabic and Vietnamese. Read more here
Contact: Pavlina Sukupova
Leipzig – Tender for protective clothing
Leipzig will increase its reserve of protective equipment for clinics and administration at the same time as strengthening the local economy. The city has launched a tender for a local or regional producer for equipment like protective masks to meet increased demand.
Contact: Christin Rettke
Lille Metropole – Support to hospitals
Lille Metropole is supporting local hospitals by supplying barriers and security guards, new signage and food from the reserves of the municipal office’s restaurant. The metropole is also working to promote the production of protective masks for caregivers by local textile companies and independent dressmakers. Read more (in French) here.
Contact: Christophe Bolot
Braga – Partnering up with Shenyang
The Municipality of Braga will receive 10,000 disposable medical masks and 500 individual protection medical kits from the Chinese city of Shenyang. The two cities have a friendship agreement and want to become twin cities. Shenyang has also offered to share experiences regarding the fight against the corona virus and the management of crisis situations. Read more (in Portuguese)
Contact: Nuno Gouveia
Porto – Securing crucial supplies
Building on good relations with its twinned cities in China, the Porto City Council has secured supplies of new ventilators.
In another partnership, with a local company, the City Council has agreed to start immediate production of personal protective masks.
Contact: Daniel Freitas
Brussels – New production chain for protective masks
A local company and a network of volunteers are helping the Brussels Capital Region produce at least 100,000 face masks for use mainly in nursing homes, the homeless sector and home help and care services. The masks are subject to quality control measures before being made available to the Brussels government.
Read more here
Contact: Geert de Roep and Antoine Umbrain