Hanes starts making medical coronavirus-fit masks

New York - During an update briefing Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that many U.S. apparel companies are joining the race against coronavirus. Hanes is one of them, which is taking the lead on the manufacturing of medical-approved masks.

"There’s a move on that’s incredible right now, and by way of example, Hanes ... is retrofitting its manufacturing capabilities in large sections of the plants to produce masks and they're in the process right now," the President of the U.S. said of the Winston-Salem, N.C.-based company.

Hanes is quickly adapting its factories to make masks to combat the aggressive spread of novel coronavirus, President Donald Trump announced at a press conference Saturday. The company later confirmed it was pairing with the government to make N95 masks for health care workers on the front line of fighting the disease.

Hanes expects to ramp up to production of 1.5 million masks weekly, and the consortium of companies it has joined, led by Parkdale Mills America, is expected to ramp up to production of 5 million to 6 million masks weekly using HanesBrands’ design and patterns, the company said in a statement.

"The company’s supply chain and product development experts created technical product specifications, including product chemistry, and samples of cotton masks in coordination with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that were approved by the FDA." Hanes further added.