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MLB and Fanatics halt jersey production to make medical masks, gowns

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James Tubb
March 27, 2020  (12:00)
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Fanatics announced Thursday they would be halting the production of MLB jerseys at its factory in Pennsylvania in order to make masks and gowns to donate to frontline medical workers, said executive chairman Michael Rubin.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred agreed to stop production and helped to quickly accommodate the switch, according to Rubin. He also added that Fanatics intends to produce one million gowns and masks and will distribute them to hospitals across Pennsylvania "with the goal of extending" to New York and New Jersey. These two are the states being hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The state of New York is currently dealing with 37,258 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the New York Times, the most of any U.S. state. New Jersey is second with 4,402 cases and Pennsylvania has identified 1,690 cases.

With the pandemic worsening with the United States having the most cases world wide, personal protective equipment is growing scarcer than ever. This includes N95 respirator masks, which offer more protection than traditional surgical masks.

When it comes to Fanatics assisting in the coronavirus fight, Rubin added, "we're less worried about manufacturing jerseys and more worried about just saving lives."

Source: CTV News