Kane County Reporter

In Illinois, manufacturers are altering production to meet demands of the COVID-19 pandemic and to offering helping hands whenever they can.

While first responders and health care workers are risking their lives during the coronavirus pandemic, manufacturers are focusing on producing personal protective equipment and keeping up with food demands, according to the Chicago Tribune. 

Smith & Richardson in Geneva has started making parts for ventilators. The company normal produces shelving units, but has shifted to metal bed frames for hospital beds, the Tribune reports. 

J.C. Schultz/The Flagsource in Batavia are also repurposing supplies to make face masks, according to the newspaper. 

Others manufacturers are focusing on food production to make sure grocery stores in Illinois are fully stocked. 

"Manufacturing has always been a powerhouse industry in our state: Illinois manufacturers employ nearly 600,000 people and generate over $304 billion in economic output annually," state Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) told the Tribune. "The COVID-19 pandemic has proved that Illinois’ manufacturers are not just important, but also essential to the well-being of our citizens and our economy."

But manufacturers aren't the only ones making a difference during the pandemic.

According to the Tribune, journalists are also "front-line heroes" to the crisis because they are informing people of the truth of the coronavirus pandemic and the actions of leadership during this time. 

"In this time of peril to print media in general and newspapers in particular, I cannot imagine a morning when I cannot catch up with the Tribune columnists I read every day," Chicago resident Emily Clott told the newspaper. "In short, I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t start my day with these friends by my side. I appreciate them even more now that contact with friends and family is so limited... You all are heroes."