Taipei City Government

In response to the need for surgical masks due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Dao Jiang High School of Nursing and Home Economics (DJHS) shared knowledge on producing surgical mask covers with the Taipei Japanese School (TJS) yesterday (March 23). In addition to presenting TJS with 50 surgical mask covers, a student and teacher meeting was also arranged. Watching the skillful techniques of students from DJHS’s Department of Home Economics, TJS principal Kondo Hirotoshi praised them as “remarkable”!

According to DJHS principal Kuo Shu-Hui, DJHS and TJS share a longstanding partnership. Before the COVID-19 outbreak deteriorated, the DJHS Department of Home Economics students have already begun voluntarily making surgical mask covers. Over time, nearly 1,000 surgical mask covers have been produced; besides students and parents, they are also given to the school’s environmental volunteers as well as local neighborhoods and communities. Today, 50 surgical mask covers were handed over to TJS in the hope that Taiwan and Japan can join forces to combat the outbreak.

Students from DJHS interacted closely with TJS principal Kondo Hirotoshi and teachers, explaining the mask production process from flat ironing the fabric, folding and ironing the fabric again to overlocking and running stitch in detail. Principal Kondo and TJS teachers all paid close attention, and the principal also commended the professionalism of DJHS students.

Kondo commented that the outbreak situation in Japan is also very bleak, and the surgical mask has become a very rare commodity, hence he thanked the DJHS for donating 50 surgical mask covers. After returning to TJS, he will discuss with the staff to determine how to best utilize the outbreak prevention resources.

During the teacher-student interaction process, Kondo tried to operate the sewing machine; although showing a lack of experience, he said wryly that he will practice the sewing machine when he gets back. In addition, he said 5th-grade students at TJS also receive home economics lessons, so he will explore ways to incorporate surgical mask cover-making into the home economics class for the benefit of the students.

DJHS principal Kuo commented that as soon as the outbreak occurred, home economics teachers and students at the school started producing surgical mask covers and distributing them to teachers and students. When the surplus of surgical mask covers gradually increased, they decided to give them to the school’s environmental volunteers and long-term partners of DJHS including Zhongshan district director, village chiefs, local residents, and TJS in a bid to combat the outbreak through concerted efforts.

Head of Department of Home Economics Hsu Chia-Ling commented that home economics students manufacture surgical mask covers after school. After they become familiar with the process, each surgical mask cover takes approximately 30 minutes to complete from cutting and ironing the fabric to sewing. Students participate in the activity voluntarily in hopes of contributing to outbreak prevention.