One of the most important things that countries need to be doing to help understand and stop the spread of COVID-19 is testing! Healthcare workers around the world are working 24*7 to test patients that might be carrying the coronavirus. These workers are in need of face shields during this time of intense testing in India. Face shields are personal protective equipment devices that are used by many workers (e.g., medical, dental, veterinary) for protection of the facial area and associated mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth) from splashes, sprays, and spatter of body fluids.

To reduce this Gap, Keegan Duarte and his team from Robotech Pvt Ltd Goa have taken up the initiative of 3D printing face shields and for Health-workers across the state of Goa. Having donated a total of 300+ face shields through the course of the pandemic to health workers on the front lines at Goa Medical college and ESI hospital, He has also donated these personal protective equipments ( PPE) to Manipal hospital, victor hospital, Rebeiro Hospital, Kamat hospital, Yashodhan nursing home, Radiance diagnostic group and various other government and private essential workers and organisations. Robotech Goa Has been striving to Help out the community at this time of need, using innovative technology and creative problem solving techniques, may it be an automated sanitizer dispenser to a 3d printed non-contact temperature gun.

It is demand that enhances the importance of the product. And if it is catastrophic or pandemic time then the demand for preventive measures pinnacles like a rocket. As almost the whole world is in the deadly trap of coronavirus, and medical experts are advising us what to do and what to not as precautionary measures at such a precarious situation, putting on masks, at this time, is one of the urgent preventive measures to keep the effects of Covid-19 in the air at bay. But to meet the challenge of snowballing demand of masks has almost failed. However, at such juncture, it is none other than 3D printer that is being used for mass production of face mask to overcome its consistently increasing demand across the world. Since the USA is most affected by coronavirus right now, a US 3D printing company Stratasys Ltd. has exuded its spontaneity and moved ahead to do the needful.

Providing face shield free of cost
To support the global war being fought against the spread of Covid-19 in different ways, the US-based Stratasys Ltd. has made announcement of a global mobilisation of its 3D printing resources and expertise, spanning its Stratasys, GrabCAD, Stratasys Direct Manufacturing and partner network with donated printing capacity in the entire region. Its first concentration is on procurement of thousands of disposable face shields to be used by medical professionals. In the US, Stratasys had set its first target of producing 5,000 face shields by March 27 which it accomplished at not even a single penny of cost to the recipients. It comprises both a 3D-printed frame and a clear plastic shield that cover the whole face. The company is able to enhance its production with much faster rate to meet the prevailing disastrous situation.

Approached by one of the world’s top hospitals
Stratasys has been approached by one of the world’s top hospitals that they use 1,530 disposable face shields every week even in normal days created by Covid-19 but currently it is not to the level of six days’ inventory on hand, with the pandemic still on its consistent prevalence. Stratasys apprised them that medical technology giant Medtronic and Minneapolis-based Dunwoody College of Technology would support in their endeavours to procure plastic shield material. “We are humbled by the opportunity to help. We see additive manufacturing as an essential part of the response to the Covid-19 global epidemic,” informed Stratasys CEO Yoav Zeif.

Based in Eden Prairie, Minn., in and around Austin, Texas, and Valencia, Calif Stratasys has a sizeable number of professional 3D printers available to meet the challenge of producing shields at scale, particularly across its Stratasys Direct Manufacturing facilities. Besides, several other big manufacturers and educational institutions with production grade 3D printers have shown their generosity to help. These comprise Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, Queensborough Community College in New York City, and the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Ga.

Organisations will be helped with 3D printed products to curb the crisis
A web page has been set up by Stratasys where organisations can appeal for 3D printed products to help in the crisis, with the offer of 3D printing capacity, or request 3D printers or material for medical- or safety-related objectives. The company has also prepared itself to extend its support in the crisis in additional ways. An initiative led by anesthesiology residents of Massachusetts General Hospital called the CoVent-19 Challenge is likely to request engineers and designers to help develop a new fast deployable ventilator and other innovative solutions to the ventilator shortage, and Stratasys is planning to support the challenge and promote it via its GrabCAD community of more than 7 million professional designers, engineers, manufacturers and students, who are regarded as a bright ray of hope at such a dark time of ordeal.

Though the year 2020 has just completed quarter portion of its journey, it has indeed been proved annus horribilis (the horrible year) particularly for India as it started showing its appalling colour with the eruption of gruesome sectarian riots in Delhi followed by the prevailing spread of the deadly coronavirus that has pounced upon almost the whole planet we live in, including India. Despite fighting against this virus with the weapons of caution, treatment and prevention, all the powerful brains and brawns have been proved impotent as the developed countries like the USA, the UK, Italy, Russia, etc. are still scrambling for a safe zone. Of course, China which was the emanating point of the virus has shown some signs of returning life to its lost track; otherwise situation is still worrisome. In India, following the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation to observe Sunday (March 22, 2020) as public curfew followed by the whole nation lockdown till March 31, 2020 and then for 21 days that to last till April 14, 2020, there have been seen many effects and side-effects in the country.

Effects
We are taking effects in a positive sense of improvement in the way of taking preventive measures. Lockdown, which is just like the complete clamping of curfew, is proved a very good preventive measure as most of the wise and educated people have minimised their outing and many of them have totally detained themselves in their homes after stocking a certain amount of ration for their survival. But some brats, vagabonds and such youth who cannot dispense with mingling up with friends could not mend their ways and were beaten by police when they frequented to come out on roads without any cogent reason. The strict step taken by administration and police restrained a large number of people to stay home. All these resulted appreciably in such way as:

Due to staying home, people could not mingle up each other and could not make gathering. It helped in slowing down the speed with which Covid-19 was spreading across the country.

Due to curfew like situation, no motor vehicles are seen on the roads and not even in the narrow lanes of the localities that have restrained hugely the increasing amount of pollution. Now, we are breathing fresh air like that of the verdant village area.

The professionals can work from home are performing similarly, rather better than doing at office while working from home and their companies are benefiting in the same ratio. The money and energy lost on commuting to office and returning to home have been saved, while on the other hand, their companies are benefiting in the sense that they need not pay electricity bill, water bill, phone bill, complimentary tea (if offered) maintenance charge of machines used and so on.

After a long, the people have got chance to stay home with their families and spend quality time with them, which is a rare happening at least in metro cities.

Students have got sufficient time to devote to their studies and online learning.

Side-effects
If the side-effects are brought in view, these are also huge and deplorable:

Police are given full power to control the public by forcing them not to come on road with the exception of such cases if someone is moving for medicine, edibles like milk, ration, vegetables, etc. But almost 25% of police are such who start showering lathis even on such people of genuine causes without paying heed to their dire requirement for which they are out on the road. Even senior citizens and handicapped have not been spared from their cruelties. Though Delhi C.M. Arvind Kejriwal has requested the police to let such people go, yet there are found many cases where police are found beating and thrashing the citizens mercilessly and throwing away the vegetables of vegetable vendors which is reported from other states of India. Of course, police personnel are doing a great job, but they should not turn gruff upon innocent citizens who are forced to go out in dire need of their necessities of life.

Earning of many of dehari mazdoor (daily wage earners) has stopped. Their families are on the verge of starvation. The langars run by the government and philanthropic citizens have fallen short in the ratio of the number of such jobless people.

The plight of labour class people is immensely deplorable. The proprietors and honours of the factories, workshops, showrooms, and shops have ousted their regular labourers and other staff from their workplaces and resultantly, they have no shelter to stay and no food to eat. Rayn Baseras and langars arranged by the Delhi state government and other philanthropists are not sufficient to meet the need of such a large number of hapless labourers from UP, Bihar, Bengal, Rajasthan and other states.

Finding no hope of food and shelter, such labourers have started plying to their native villages which are far away from Delhi and Mumbai. But on the way they are falling in the trap of the police who beat them very badly and punish them physically on the spot asking them not to come on the road. Instead of finding out any alternative solution, the government is unable to solve their problem. Of course, many of our compatriots have shown their generosity in helping such poor in the time of such a big crisis. My salute to such philanthropists of India.

As claimed by government that the ration shops and other shops of necessities would remain open, some of them do remain so. But the necessities of life are falling short very rapidly since the supplies are rarely coming from the wholesale market. If such situation continues, the days are ahead when nothing will be found in these shops.

Overall, it’s an ordeal and the time of litmus test for all us. We need to fight the situation with our unbeatable courage and calibre while maintaining perseverance, patience and application of our intellect. It is to contemplate that disasters come and go, but leave lessons for us to learn from.