Star date: 12th May 2020

TWO NEW VIRUS CASES IN SALFORD AND TWO SAD DEATHS

There have been just two new cases of coronavirus in Salford, taking the total to 866, but this could be a reporting delay after the Bank Holiday and weekend. Salford Royal Hospital has also announced a further two sad deaths from the virus.

Meanwhile, the Government, now insisting on people wearing masks in enclosed spaces, has issued official instructions on how to make the face covering out of an old t-shirt, in four easy steps that take less than five minutes...The Salford Star editor tried it out...

Full details here...

Salford has recorded just two new cases of coronavirus in the city, taking the total up to 866 from 864 the previous day. While, on the surface, this looks like good news, it could just be a delay in reporting due to the Bank Holiday and weekend.

Manchester still has the highest number of cases in Greater Manchester, with 1,334 cases, followed by Stockport 963, Wigan 998, Oldham 943, Bolton 903, Trafford 687, Rochdale 666, Bury 642 and Tameside 549.

There have also been two further sad virus-related deaths at Salford Royal Hospital.

Meanwhile, as the Government pushes people back to work, it is recommending that face coverings be worn in enclosed indoor spaces – and has issued official instructions on how to make a face mask out of an old t-shirt...

All you need is an old t-shirt, ideally small, and a pair of scissors...

Step 1: Cut a straight line across the width of the T-shirt (front and back) approximately 20cm from the bottom of the T-shirt.

Step 2: From a point 2cm below the top right-hand corner of the fabric, make a 15cm horizontal cut through both sides of the fabric that is parallel to the top of the rectangle.

Step 3: Cut down towards the bottom of the fabric until you reach approximately 2cm above the bottom edge. From here, make another 15cm cut that runs parallel to the bottom of the fabric to make a rectangle that can be discarded.

Step 4: To make the ties, cut open the edge of the 2 long strips of fabric. Unfold the main piece of fabric and place over the mouth and the nose. The 4 strips act as ties to hold the cloth face covering in place and should be tied behind the head and around the neck.

To show how easy it is, the Salford Star editor sacrificed an old t-shirt, carried out the steps to perfection in about five minutes and, er, 'Voila!'...here's a mask we made earlier...

"It was easy enough to make but it's a bit of a mess and does slip all over the place" he decided "It's got no filter or anything, so will it protect me against the virus...or nuclear war, or anything really?...No idea..."

For those who can sew, the Government also provides a handy pattern and instructions for a more deluxe version – click here for all the face covering alternatives

Main photo by Louise Garman