Inbox, a tattoo startup based in Toronto that specializes in semi-permanent tattoos, has joined the fight against COVID-19 by providing frontline healthcare personnel with face shields.
The company has shifted it’s production to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the city’s first responders and frontline workers, as a measure to aid the current shortage of PPEs faced by healthcare workers in Toronto. Prototypes have been tested over the past two weeks, and over 100 face shields have been shipped to Trillium Health Partners just a couple of days ago on April 15.
Inkbox aims to produce at least 1,000 face shields per week until the end of April. In May, the company says that it expects to receive assistance in the form of materials to amp up production volume to 10,000 face shields per week. The shields are made with the use of laser cutters – a tool that the tattoo startup already possesses as they are the same tool used to cut tattoos. Additionally, the shields also require elastic straps to help workers adjust fitting depending on head size. The production of these shields have been approved by Health Canada.
Earlier this month, Inkbox stated that they are working on a formulation for hand sanitizer. In a heartwarming gesture to support Toronto’s community during this international health crisis, Inbox has also donated 100,000 sanitization kits to homeless shelters, food banks and local service workers. The kits contain hand gloves and alcohol wipes which are surplus from Inkbox’s Freehand Ink Pro Kits.
