Spain's female football referees on frontline of coronavirus fight

AFP / FAMILY HANDOUTNurse and semi-professional football referee Iragartze Fernandez officiating a match (L), at a hospital desk (C) and at a hospital in Bilbao during the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.

"I'm just doing my bit," says Iragartze Fernandez, the part-time referee turned full-time nurse who has swapped the whistle for a face-mask in the hope of helping Spain combat the deadly coronavirus.

The 26-year-old, who officiates matches in La Liga Iberdrola, the top tier of the women's game, and Segunda B, the third tier of the men's, has been practising as a nurse for five years at the Rekalde Health Centre in Bilbao.

But as the relentless spread of the virus has stretched Spain's hospitals to breaking point, Iragartze Fernandez has made her medical role full-time to help manage the rush of patients.

"When someone arrives with a cough and a fever, my job is to analyse their symptoms, while wearing full protective equipment," she told AFP.

"The risk of us transmitting the disease is high because we are constantly living next to it. That's a very stressful experience because you're always fighting against something you can't see. You're always playing at a disadvantage."

- 'I'm not Superwoman' -

Spain now has the second most deaths of any country in the world, behind only Italy, with more than 4,000 lives taken by the pandemic, according to the latest figures on Thursday.

Football has stepped forward, as coaches, players and fans have raised millions to boost the effort while clubs have offered up their first-class facilities in a bid to ease the strain.

Yet Iragartze Fernandez is among the few from the sport to take her place on the fight's frontline.

"I'm not Superwoman or anything like that," Iragartze Fernandez says. "I'm just doing my bit, like everyone else."

Spain is now 11 days into official lockdown, with another two weeks at least to come, after the state of alarm was extended earlier this week.

With people concerned, frightened and frustrated, Iragartze Fernandez says her encounters in hospital can turn ugly, something she admits she is accustomed to from her work on the football field.

"Maybe in football, we talk about it more," she says. "But as a nurse, I have to take a lot of abuse as well from people who maybe don't want to queue or who want to be examined first because they think their situation is more serious than the person next to them."

Yet Spain has shown solidarity too since the population went into collective confinement. Every night at 8pm, residents all over the country step out onto their balconies and applaud to salute the work of those in the health industry, like Iragartze Fernandez.

"All that applause every night, it's incredible," she says. "I've been working in the same medical centre for two years and to be honest, no one has ever said thank you until now. It's really heart-warming to see our work is being recognised."

- Sport 'an escape' -

Spanish football has been suspended until further notice and she misses not only the game but the distraction from a job that is now all-encompassing.

"Playing sports is usually my escape. At work, we live with the coronavirus, we rub shoulders with it. I come home, I turn on the TV and now we only talk about that," she said.

"The only thing to really disconnect is sport. It helps me forget everything."

Iragartze Fernandez is not the only one, with Judit Romano, an assistant referee in Segunda, the second tier of men's football, now working as an anesthesiologist in the resuscitation department of Oviedo's Central University Hospital of Asturias.

Elena Pelaez, a referee in La Liga Iberdrola, is working as a midwife at the Rio Carrion Hospital in Palencia.

But despite their strenuous timetables, Iragartze Fernandez said the Spanish Football Federation are keen to ensure they all stay as sharp as possible.

"They send us videos and tests with decisions to make," she said. "We also have physical exams to pass, with suggestions according to the equipment we have at home, like if we don't have elastic bands or exercise bikes. We adapt."

And she is looking forward to blowing the whistle to start her first game back. "When I think about football in the little free time I have left, I miss it," she said. "I miss matches, I miss the competition and of course most of all, refereeing. I miss all of it."

Fox News slammed for talking hair, nails during pandemic

WASP NEWS

GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP / John Lamparski

Fox host Ainsley Earhardt (in pink) pictured with her fellow 

presenters and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley in 2019, 

was hit with a torrent of angry tweets

A Fox News host sparked a firestorm of outrage Thursday by voicing concern over how women are going to get their hair and nails done during the coronavirus pandemic.

Ainsley Earhardt was absolutely clear that she was talking about trivial everyday worries rather than the life-or-death issues which are of much larger import.

But that didn't stop a social media pile-on from critics who described her complaint about the frustrating side of lockdowns and social distancing as "vapid" and "vain."

"This is not a priority, but women have to get their hair done," Earhardt told viewers of US President Donald Trump's favorite conservative-leaning morning talk show, "Fox and Friends".

"I saw someone tweet out, 'You're gonna see what real color our hair is, because our roots are gonna grow in.'

"All my friends are saying, you know, this is not a priority -- people are dying and I realize that -- but they can't get their nails done," she said.

One critic posted on Twitter that the segment was "a perfect distillation of Trump Republicanism" while another sneered at "rich white lady problems."

"Republicans are pro-life until they have to get their nails done. This genius is the poster child for why the entire world laughs at us," said another.

But some came to the defense of the 43-year-old mother-of-one, arguing that she was expressing legitimate concerns and suggesting that the criticism was sexist.

Others pointed out that Bernie Sanders's press secretary Briahna Joy Gray had made a similar complaint days earlier -- while also underlining that there were bigger concerns.

Confirmed cases of the new coronavirus are accelerating in the United States, with more than 76,000 confirmed cases and 849 deaths.

The pandemic has shut down large swaths of the country, pushing the economy into a tailspin.

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FISH TANK CLEANER

What is chloroquine and could it cure the coronavirus?

AFP/File / GERARD JULIENCould these pills help solve the coronavirus crisis? Experts are studying Nivaquine (L), which contains chloroquine, and Plaqueril, which contain hydroxychloroquine

Could a pair of decades-old, relatively inexpensive drugs be the solution to the novel coronavirus pandemic?

Around the world, countries are expanding access to hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and chloroquine (CQ), related compounds that are synthetic forms of quinine, which comes from cinchona trees and has been used for centuries to treat malaria.

HQ which is the less toxic of the two, is also used as an anti-inflammatory to treat conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, purposes it is primarily known for outside the tropics.

The medicines have shown early promise against the COVID-19 illness in early studies in France and China, which led US President Donald Trump this week to call them a "gift from God" -- even as experts urge caution until bigger trials validate their effectiveness.

Here is what you need to know.

- Why they might work -

China used CQ on a trial of 134 patients in February, finding it was effective in reducing the severity of the illness, according to officials.

AFP / NOEL CELISMedical workers wearing hazmat suits as prevention against the COVID-19 coronavirus at work at the Huanggang Zhongxin Hospital in Huanggang, in China's central Hubei province

But these results haven't yet been published. Chinese respiratory expert Zhong Nanshan, who leads a government task force in response to the epidemic, said in a press conference last week that the data would be widely shared soon.

In France, a team led by Didier Raoult of the IHU-Mediterranee Infection, Marseille reported last week they had carried out a study on 36 COVID-19 patients, finding that HCQ drastically reduced the viral load in a group which received the drug.

The effects were especially pronounced when it was used with azithromycin, a common antibiotic used to sweep out secondary bacterial infections.

What's more, HCQ and CQ drugs have been proven to act against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in lab settings, and a paper published by a Chinese team last week in Cell Discovery offered a potential mode of action.

Karine Le Roch, a professor of cell biology at the University of California, Riverside, explained that both HCQ and CQ are weak bases that elevate the pH of parts of human cells called organelles -- which are analogous to organs in animals -- and which are normally acidic.

This in turn interferes with the virus' ability to enter the cells -- and also seems to block them from replicating once they are already inside.

But, she added: "While it worked in vitro, I am still waiting to see published results of large blind clinical trials demonstrating the efficacy of HCQ in vivo," she told AFP.

- The case for caution -

Promise doesn't mean proof, and the small studies carried out so far amount to "anecdotal" evidence, according to Anthony Fauci, head of infectious diseases at the US National Institutes of Health.

AFP / MANDEL NGANThe small studies carried out so far amount to "anecdotal" evidence, said Anthony Fauci, head of infectious diseases at the US National Institutes of Health - here with President Donald Trump

What's more, a small Chinese study on 30 patients that was also published this month found HCQ was no better than standard care -- meaning treating the symptoms via bed rest, fluids and so on -- adding a note of caution to the discourse.

The only way to know for sure is to carry out randomized clinical trials, scientists say. Such experiments are considered the gold standard in the field but last months or years and involve thousands of patients, often from around the world.

Patients are assigned at random to either receive the drug under investigation or a placebo, and the studies are "blinded" meaning the participants and their doctors are unaware which group they are in, to further reduce bias.

Overhyping medicine can have several unintended effects, warn experts.

"One of the unintended consequences are drug shortages of chloroquine, for people that need to manage their rheumatoid arthritis, for example," Peter Pitts, a former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration told AFP.

A few countries are taking a cautious approach. Spain, for example, announced Monday said that "until further notice" these arthritis and lupus patients would be given priority access to the drug.

French Health Minister Olivier Veran meanwhile said the compounds can be used only to treat the most severe cases of COVID-19.

Another problem is that people may try to self-medicate. A US man from Arizona died this week after ingesting a form of chloroquine intended to fight aquatic parasites.

- Side effects -

Several countries have now embarked on clinical trials, including the United States, where one began in New York this week.

Italy is carrying out a trial on 2,000 people, while scientists are also awaiting the results from bigger trials in China.

But while the drugs are being rolled out for compassionate use, it is critical to bear in mind safety precautions.

About one percent of people are at high risk of blackouts, seizure or even sudden death from cardiac arrest because of heart rhythm issues they may themselves be unaware of, Michael Ackerman, a genetic cardiologist at Mayo Clinic told AFP.

Medical teams must therefore perform electrocardiograms to inform their risk analysis before using these medicines, he said.

"All focus is placed on the hope for therapeutic efficacy of these medications, without any reasonable amount of respect, not fear, but respect for what the potential side effects of these very powerful medications are," said Ackerman.

Delays and shattered hopes: Uganda still waiting for oil riches

AFP / Yasuyoshi CHIBAUganda discovered oil beneath Lake Albert 14 years ago but so far none has been extracted

It was the promise of oil -- billions of barrels of black gold, discovered locked beneath Lake Albert -- and the riches to follow that brought electricity to Buliisa.

Roads, piped water, and other unthinkable luxuries came next, as the poor farming village on the great lake's northern shores transformed into a booming frontier town, and Uganda braced for newfound prosperity as an African oil giant.

But those fortunes never transpired.

The wells were never dug at Buliisa, the refineries never built and taps never turned.

Fourteen years after the discovery of sub-Saharan Africa's fourth-largest oil reserves, not a drop has been extracted.

Bureaucratic delays and contract disputes have ground progress to a halt.

AFP / Yasuyoshi CHIBABureaucratic delays and contract disputes have hampered progress in Uganda's oil exploration

And allegations of environmental damage and human rights abuses surrounding the oil fields have raised questions about resource exploration in one of Africa's great wildernesses.

"The beginning was bad, and we foresee that the oil will come, and make matters worse," said Mpangire Blasio Korokoni, who was evicted from his land at Kasenyi, a village near Buliisa, to make way for the oil project.

But Uganda is not giving up on its oil dreams, and the country is still banking on production starting by 2023.

- High hopes -

The discovery at Lake Albert in 2006 sparked high hopes in Uganda, where one in five of the country's 42 million people live in abject poverty.

Beneath the lake waters fed by the White Nile are an estimated 6.5 billion barrels of crude, about 1.4 billion of which were extractable.

AFP / Yasuyoshi CHIBAMpangire Blasio Korokoni was evicted from his land to make way for the oil project

The reserves are expected to last up to 30 years, with production peaking at 230,000 barrels a day.

The government forecasts earnings of $1.5 billion a year, a windfall that could have driven GDP per capita from $630 a year to more than $1,000.

However plans to tap the oil at Lake Albert, a vast, 160-kilometre (99-mile) long body of water separating Uganda from the Democratic Republic of Congo, have yet to materialise.

The planned projects are co-managed by French oil company Total, British outfit Tullow and China's CNOOC.

But optimism ebbed as the ambitious projects ran again and again into obstacles and, almost a decade and at least $3 billion later, progress has ground to a halt.

"When you discover reserves, you hope to start production seven to 10 years later," says Pierre Jessua, managing director of E&P Total Uganda, a subsidiary of Total.

AFP / Yasuyoshi CHIBAOne in five of Uganda's 42 million people live in abject poverty

"So we have encountered a number of delays."

Uganda has been slow to acquire technical expertise and legislate the necessary regulations.

Initially it said it would build a pipeline through Kenya, before changing its mind and deciding on a 1,443-km pipeline from Uganda to the Tanzanian port of Tanga for export.

Most recently, in August, Tullow abandoned plans to sell part of its stake in the fields and projects to CNOOC and Total due to a tax dispute with the Ugandan government.

"A lot of preparatory work has been done. The projects are technically ready. But some of the commercial negotiations are still ongoing," said Gloria Sebikari, an official of the Uganda Petroleum Authority.

AFP / Yasuyoshi CHIBA"When you discover reserves, you hope to start production seven to 10 years later," says Pierre Jessua, managing director of E&P Total Uganda, a subsidiary of Total

"But we remain hopeful."

Uganda is now aiming for the remaining hurdles to be resolved allowing for the crucial Final Investment Decision (FID) to be struck with partners this year, paving the way for production to start by 2023.

"There's a real desire, a real commitment on both sides. I'm quite optimistic that these discussions will be fruitful," Jessua, of Total, said.

"Now, on the timetable, I think we have to be cautious," he added however.

Uganda is relying on oil revenue to repay state debt that stood equivalent to 42 percent of GDP in 2018 -- a share that could rise to 50 percent of GDP by early 2021.

- Living in fear -

The oil projects have proven controversial beyond the boardroom.

Some 7,000 people were forced from their land in 2012 in Kabaale, about 150 km south of Buliisa, to make way for a refinery and international airport related to one of the projects.

The airport is the only site where construction has begun and is due for completion in 2023.

AFP / Yasuyoshi CHIBAThe impact of Uganda's oil ambitions on Murchison Falls National Park, in particular, has caused grave concern

Some of those expelled opted for land in return, but waited six years for lots they still don't have title deeds for.

"We don't own this land legally," said Innocent Tumwebaze, 30, one of those dispossessed.

"We are cultivating it, but with that fear. Because at any time, you don't know what could happen."

Total and its subcontractor Atacama Consulting have been accused by civil rights groups of making late or below-value compensation payments to 600 people who were tossed from their homes around Kasenyi, where the company plans to build a plant for processing crude.

AFP / Yasuyoshi CHIBAInnocent Tumwebaze says he worries because he doesn't legally own land he was given in return for making way for developments related to the oil projects

Total denies the allegations, saying it is "limiting relocations and providing support to those concerned".

Six Ugandan and French non-governmental organisations have filed a lawsuit in France against Total, accusing it of not undertaking a "duty of vigilance" when considering the impact on local people.

A court near Paris declared on January 30 that it could not try the case, referring it instead to a commercial tribunal.

- Wilderness fears -

The lawsuit also raised apprehensions about the long-term ecological consequences of mining for oil in a basin ecosystem home to half of Africa's bird species and more than a third of its mammals.

The impact on Murchison Falls National Park, in particular, has caused grave concern.

AFP / Yasuyoshi CHIBAAfter years of delays, Uganda is still banking on oil production starting by 2023

This green jewel is home to a wide array of species and the spectacular waterfalls of the same name, as well as protected wetlands and the White Nile, under which an oil pipeline will pass.

Isaac Ntujju, from Uganda's national environment authority NEMA, said the companies involved "do recognise that... the environment is very sensitive" and the need to be careful.

The government is expected to grant exploration licences to five further oil blocks in Uganda, including one which crosses into Queen Elizabeth National Park, a UNESCO listed biosphere.

"You are going to destroy a lot of biodiversity, a lot of wetlands, a lot of forests... These are impacts we haven't seen yet," warned Frank Muramuzi, executive director of the Uganda-based activist group Nape, one of the signatories to the French lawsuit.

'Printing money': booming mask producers in China meet global demand

AFP/File / STRWorkers produce face masks at a factory in Handan in China's northern Hebei province

As the coronavirus pandemic that originated in a central Chinese city has gone global, thousands of factories in China have nimbly turned to a new and very profitable market –- face masks for export.

At the height of China's outbreak in early February, Guan Xunze's company created a new mask factory in just eleven days.

The factory, with five production lines in northeastern China, made the much-needed N95 face masks which were in huge demand as infection numbers surged.

As cases in the country have dwindled, the 34-year-old -- who was previously in pharmaceuticals -- is now profiting from new markets and exporting masks to Italy, where the death toll has overtaken that of China.

AFP / WANG ZHAODemand for protective equipment is still soaring as nations across the globe battle the coronavirus outbreak

In the first two months of the year, a staggering 8,950 new manufacturers started producing masks in China, according to business data platform Tianyancha -- racing to fill the huge gap in demand.

But after the virus epicentre of Hubei province was placed on lockdown and the initial frenzy began to die down in China, virus outbreaks emerged in new hotspots elsewhere in the world.

Globally more than 400,000 have been infected with the deadly coronavirus, and demand for protective equipment is still soaring as nations across the globe battle the outbreak.

"A mask machine is a real cash printer," said Shi Xinghui, sales manager of an N95 mask machine company in Dongguan city, southeastern Guangdong province. "The profit of a mask now is at least several cents compared to less than one in the past.

"Printing 60,000 or 70,000 masks a day is equivalent to printing money."

AFP / WANG ZHAOIn the first two months of the year, a staggering 8,950 new manufacturers started producing masks in China, according to business data platform Tianyancha

Qi Guangtu has put more than 50 million yuan ($7 million) into his factory producing mask-making machines in the southern industrial hub of Dongguan.

It has been in 24-hour continuous production since January 25 -- two days after the dramatic lockdown of Wuhan, where the virus first emerged.

"Cost recovery is certainly not a problem," he said, adding that 70 sets of equipment have been sold for more than 500,000 yuan ($71,000) each.

He has more than 200 additional orders in hand, worth over 100 million yuan ($14 million).

"The machines pay for themselves in 15 days, " said Qi, saying the investment is worth it for his clients.

- Rising costs and blind investment -

Manufacturer You Lixin had never set foot in a mask factory before.

But as the market soared and he saw the opportunity, it took him just ten days from first deciding to enter the industry to delivering automated machines capable of producing masks.

"I slept two or three hours a day, so did my clients," he said.

AFP/File / STR, STRA worker produces face masks at a factory in Qingdao in China's eastern Shandong province

You's clients also slept in his plant, waiting desperately to collect their new machinery.

Some of them are garment factory owners in Wenzhou, eastern Zhejiang province, who had switched to producing face masks.

"They were facing orders they had insufficient capacity to deliver, and they couldn't make the deliveries," You said.

"The panic intensified as the crisis accelerated at that time."

The high levels of mask production has dramatically pushed up prices for raw materials.

AFP / WANG ZHAOThe high levels of mask production has dramatically pushed up prices for raw materials

According to Guan, the price of fabric has risen astronomically -- from 10,000 yuan to 480,000 yuan per tonne.

Producer Liao Biao struggled to bring back the components of mask machine piece by piece from outside Hunan Province in late January, with the cross province border closed.

Finally, to pay an expert tester for the mask machines, Liao paid more than ten times the normal price.

"Investment is blind now," You said.

- World's factory -

But despite the rising costs of production, the profits still make the industry appealing.

According to China's official figures, China's daily mask production has passed 116 million now, with many meeting overseas demand.

Guan has already delivered one million masks to Italy, while Shi currently has more than 200 orders from South Korea and countries in the European Union.

AFP / Noel CelisAccording to China's official figures, China's daily mask production has passed 116 million now, with many meeting overseas demand

"Dongguan remains the world's factory," said Shi.

"The first peak of orders was during the middle of February. Now there is a second wave because of the pandemic," said Shi.

Liao is also seeking to export his masks to Europe and Canada.

"The demand for masks has been alleviated at home -- now we can have some surplus to support other countries," said Liao.

"We are willing to help others."

And Guan is optimistic about the future of the industry beyond the outbreak.

"Most people will have the habit wearing a mask after this outbreak," said Guan.

"I'll stay in the industry."

India's coronavirus heroes come under
attack

AFP/File / Manjunath KiranDoctors, nurses, delivery drivers 

and other coronavirus frontline workers have been attacked and harassed in India

They have been hailed as India's coronavirus "heroes", but doctors, nurses, delivery drivers and other frontline workers have been attacked and in some cases evicted from their homes by panicked residents.

Some e-commerce giants have even halted deliveries partly due to the harassment of staff, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi said abuse of hospital workers had become a "huge issue".

Reports of attacks and abuse have come from across India, increasing with the imposition this week of a 21-day nationwide lockdown. In at least one case, police were accused of beating a delivery driver carrying medicines.

Sanjibani Panigrahi, a doctor in the western city of Surat, described how she was accosted as she returned home from a long day at a hospital that is treating COVID-19 patients.

She said neighbours blocked her at the entrance to her apartment building and threatened "consequences" if she continued to work.

AFP/File / DIPTENDU DUTTA

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described the 

harassment of coronavirus frontline medical workers as a 'huge issue'


"These are the same people who have happily interacted with me (in the past). Whenever they've faced a problem, I've helped them out," the 36-year-old told AFP.

"There is a sense of fear among people. I do understand. But it's like I suddenly became an untouchable."

This week, doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences appealed to the government for help after health workers were forced out of their homes by panicked landlords and housing societies.

"Many doctors are stranded on the roads with all their luggage, nowhere to go, across the country," the letter said.

Modi called on Indians to stop treating medical workers as pariahs, describing those fighting the virus were "god-like".

"Today they are the people who are saving us from dying, putting their lives in danger."

- Fake news and paranoia -

Health workers are not the only ones facing the brunt of the frightened population in an environment where misinformation and rumours are thriving.

AFP/File / Sajjad HUSSAIN

Reports of attacks and abuse of India's frontline health and transportation workers have increased with the imposition of a 21-day nationwide lockdown

Airline and airport staff, who are still being called on for evacuations of Indians stuck overseas and management of key cargo deliveries, have also been threatened.

Indigo and Air India have condemned threats made against their staff.

An Air India flight attendant told AFP her neighbours threatened to evict her from her apartment while she was heading to the United States, saying she would "infect everyone".

"I couldn't sleep that night," she said, afraid to reveal her name over fear of further stigmatisation.

"I was scared that even if I did go home, would someone break open the door or call people to kick me out?"

Her husband had to ask the police for help.

Others have not been as lucky, the flight attendant said, with one colleague -- who declined to speak to AFP -- forced out of her home and now living with her parents.

AFP/File / Dibyangshu SARKAR

Airline and airport staff, who are still being called on for evacuations of Indians stuck overseas and manage key cargo deliveries, have also been threatened

"With all the fake news and WhatsApp forwards, they don't know what is going on, so there's this paranoia that makes them behave like this," she said.

T. Praveen Keerthi, general secretary of the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (IPCA), told AFP they had received more than 50 complaints from airline crew.

"Airline staffers are being stopped from entering their own residential premises by security guards," he said.

"We also have families and children that we leave at home to help fellow citizens... The least we expect is for our colleagues to not be harassed and ostracised."

Airport workers involved in moving essential supplies have also faced attacks as have delivery workers transporting medicines and groceries.

E-commerce giant Flipkart temporarily suspended services this week.

The Walmart-owned group said it only resumed home deliveries after police guaranteed "the safe and smooth passage of our supply chain and delivery executives".

burs-amu/qan/aph

 Northern Ireland sportswear factory 

scrubs up in virus fight

AFP / Paul FaithA sportswear factory in Northern Ireland is now producing scrubs for local operations of Britain's health service

As other factories fall silent due to the coronavirus, the din of production continues at O'Neills sportswear factory in Northern Ireland, where staff have pivoted to making scrubs and facemasks for besieged healthcare workers.

"You always feel proud of your product," business development manager Orla Ward told AFP.

"But this is just on another level because you really are getting it to the people that need it most at this really critical time."

AFP / Paul FaithRanks of the skilled machinist staff are separated from each other under 'social distancing' guidelines

Around 750 staff at the factory in Strabane, which makes kits and leisurewear primarily for Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) sports, were temporarily laid off as the COVID-19 crisis unfolded.

Teams and groups playing GAA sports -- such as hurling and Gaelic football -- began to postpone events and matches as the British and Irish governments restricted gatherings in a bid to stem infections.

"Our business was just basically drying up," Ward explained.

AFP / Paul FaithThe news has been a small mercy for the town of Strabane, where the factory is the biggest employer

"Over the period of basically two weeks our order book went from extremely busy to practically nothing whatsoever."

But with the factory switching to produce scrubs for local operations of Britain's National Health Service (NHS), 150 staff have been able to return to work.

The news has been a small mercy for the town of Strabane, where the factory is the biggest employer.

- 'Tsunami' of patients -

It has also had an effect on a national scale, boosting Britain's efforts as it prepares for a "tsunami" of new coronavirus patients.

Healthcare workers across Britain have complained of a lack of protective equipment for staff, who are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19.

AFP / Paul FaithHealthcare workers across Britain have complained of a lack of protective equipment for staff, who are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19

"The managing director had been speaking to people here in the local hospital and realised that they were in desperate need of scrubs," said Ward.

Ranks of the skilled machinist staff were back at their stations on Thursday, separated from each other under "social distancing" guidelines designed to slow the spread of the virus.

 

AFP / Paul FaithThe Strabane factory is currently working to meet an order of 5,000 scrubs

Surrounded by spools of vibrant thread and wearing masks made in the factory, they sewed the maroon fabrics which will soon be worn by frontline NHS staff.

Production began at the O'Neills Strabane location on Wednesday after the fabrics were dyed, given antibacterial treatment and shipped from Dublin -- where the firm is headquartered.

The Strabane factory is currently working to meet an order of 5,000 scrubs -- consisting of a set of trousers, a top and a mask.

"I think there's absolutely a great sense of pride that we can do this," said Ward.

"When you're faced with a challenge, look how quickly and how well you can step up to the plate and really help."