On Sunday March 22, the Italian government, as part of its ongoing efforts to reduce the impact of Covid-19, issued a prime ministerial decree (DPCM) extending until April 3 the restrictive measures that had already been introduced over the previous days. Italy’s manufacturers of machines for the processing of plastics and rubber are among those authorised by the decree to continue working, albeit in full compliance with the safety regulations implemented in recent days.

Comerio Ercole, remaining operational under the terms of the government’s measure, and applying additional specific precautions to protect its employees and their jobs, is currently completing the construction of a calendering machine for manufacturing the non-woven fabric used as a base material for the production of surgical masks, which are now in such great demand the world over. These masks are indeed made up of layers of polypropylene non-woven fabric that protect the “heart” of the product, namely a filtering layer made of nanofibres. As soon as it is ready, this calendering machine will allow the entire production line to go into operation, thereby increasing the availability of these masks, which have become indispensable items for medical and healthcare workers, but also for the general population.

Comerio Ercole’s case provides an example of how Italian companies, where they are permitted to do so, choose not simply to continue working, but rather to strive to make their own contribution, both passive (compliance with infection containment measures) and active (development of technological solutions for the production of medical devices), to the fight against the pandemic.