Ferrari producing valves to convert underwater masks for Covid-19 treatment

MILAN (Reuters) – Luxury carmaker Ferrari is producing specialist valves at its Maranello factory to convert snorkel masks into respirators used to treat coronavirus patients, Chairman John Elkann said on Thursday.

The masks are being delivered this week to hospitals across Italy, Elkann added during the company’s shareholders’ meeting.

The idea of adapting the masks was originally proposed by Italian engineers and is now being used in different countries to meet a surge in the use of these medical devices that are key in saving lives during the pandemic.

Ferrari is producing parts of these valves through its 3D printing technologies, a spokesman for the company said.

(Reporting by Giulio Piovaccari, editing by Giulia Segreti)