Coronavirus News: Staten Island sisters make, donate mask covers

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Coronavirus News: Staten Island sisters make, donate mask covers during COVID-19 crisis

Tim Fleischer reports on two Staten Island sisters who are making and donating mask covers during the COVID-19 crisis.

STATEN ISLAND, New York (WABC) -- Two sisters banded together to help the healthcare workers that risk their lives daily on Staten Island during the COVID-19 crisis.

11-year-old Julianna Dileo and her 9-year-old sister Ashley sew facemask covers that fit over existing N-95 masks worn by doctors, nurses and health care workers.

"They weren't getting many masks per week. They needed something to protect them. To keep them safe from the germs and that they could wash," Julianna said.

The girls have separate sewing stations and together they sew 6" x 9" pieces of brightly colored material that they cut themselves into the mask covers.

"You have to like start in the middle and then sew around. And when you get to the corners you have put in the end of the elastic," Ashley said.

Julianna's gotten so good she can put one together in about 20 minutes.

Julianna and Ashley watched a video on how to make the covers, and since they take sewing lessons already, they figured they could do their part to help others.

Diana Dileo posted pictures on Facebook from the many appreciative front line nurses and workers from three different hospitals.

"People started messaging us and saying if the girls are really doing this, can the make some for me because they really wanted to protect the equipment they have right now," Diana said.

And the list of requests keeps growing. The girls are also making masks for delivery people who stop by their home.

"I put a box out front with masks in them and then I wrote a sign that says 'stay safe' and 'I made these masks for you to stay safe,'" Ashley said.

Diana is proud of what her daughters are doing for these people working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I think what they are doing is pretty awesome," she said. "They are doing a really good thing."