New Czech websites connecting people with DIY face masks, places to volunteer

Several websites have been set up quickly so people can either volunteer or find help in dealing with the coronavirus emergency. One focuses specifically on making and distributing masks, while others are more general. There are also social media groups dedicated to sewing and distributing masks.

“If we all wear them all, we can greatly reduce the spread of the virus,” the site operators said.

The site interface on the site that allows volunteers to coordinate among themselves. The sites offers four ways to help: courier, caregiver, dispatcher, and sewing masks.

A courier needs a car or a bike, and a phone. They shop from shopping lists, and delivers purchases to those who need them. This keeps at-risk people safer from infection.

A caregiver needs a computer, telephone, and organizational skills. They search for people who need help with purchases, creates shopping lists with them, and enter shopping lists into the system.

A dispatcher needs a computer, telephone, and patience. They monitor the movement and availability of couriers in a given location, allocate purchases to couriers, and oversee their delivery.

A mask maker needs steady hands, a sewing machine, fabric, elastic bands, and a telephone. They sew fabric masks and prepare them for couriers to deliver. The masks will be used by other volunteers out in the field, and the rest will be given to those who need them the most.