Photo Stories: • Covid-19 - Seattle's C-ID: Ducey-Covid-Chinatown-2020-14

Workers make masks at Tom Bihn Inc. in Seattle, Washington on September 2, 2020. Tom Bihn Inc. usually produces backpacks and travel bags but started making masks at the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Business slowed down after the pandemic began. Making reusable masks was a good solution to keep their employees working and help the company break even. The workforce at Tom Bihn is very diverse, almost half are people of Chinese descent. According to their website the Tom Bihn company designed and made over one million non-medical face masks, donating over 200,000 masks to elder communities, tribal nations, and food banks. Says Wong, “At the beginning, we just want, we can help the people, safety, when everybody put on the mask. So we just sewing, not so fun. Just want to save the life almost is the thing.” (photo by Karen Ducey)

Workers make masks at Tom Bihn Inc. in Seattle, Washington on September 2, 2020. Tom Bihn Inc. usually produces backpacks and travel bags but started making masks at the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Business slowed down after the pandemic began. Making reusable masks was a good solution to keep their employees working and help the company break even. The workforce at Tom Bihn is very diverse, almost half are people of Chinese descent. According to their website the Tom Bihn company designed and made over one million non-medical face masks, donating over 200,000 masks to elder communities, tribal nations, and food banks. Says Wong, “At the beginning, we just want, we can help the people, safety, when everybody put on the mask. So we just sewing, not so fun. Just want to save the life almost is the thing.” (photo by Karen Ducey)