When Alberta students return into their K-12 classrooms this fall, they will be given two reusable face masks, courtesy of the provincial government.
It was announced by the Education Minister that the province had placed orders for 1.7 million face masks at a total cost of $4.2 million. Instead of putting out a standard request for proposals, the government expedited the process given the urgency of the situation and approached two companies directly – U.S. based Old Navy, a multinational clothing company owned by Gap and IFR Workwear, a family-owned company based in Red Deer.
IFR was founded in Red Deer 15 years ago by the Radfords. The company has a 31,000 square foot manufacturing and distribution center in north Red Deer and a manufacturing plant in Mexico.
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https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover.html
https://www.livescience.com/are-face-masks-effective-reducing-coronavirus-spread.html