Club donates 2,700 masks to prisons in Rome

AS Roma has today delivered 2,700 protective masks to two prisons in the Italian capital.

On Wednesday morning the club, in conjunction with its charity arm Roma Cares, delivered 2,000 of the masks to Regina Coeli prison, for distribution among the prison’s staff and medical personnel.

The other 700 masks have been donated to the women’s detention centre in Rebibbia – for use by inmates, their children and other staff at the jail.

“I would like to thank Roma Cares, and everyone else involved, for thinking about us,” said Silvana Sergi, the director of Regina Coeli prison.

“All those working at the institute will benefit from these masks; from the wardens to those working in other roles throughout the prison. It will also help us to keep the inmates as safe as possible.”

All the masks donated by the club are washable, and can be reused up to 30 times.

“The fact that sport has reached out this far to touch us shows that these women are being heard too,” said Don Antonello Sacco, assistant chaplain at the Rebibbia women’s prison.

“This is an incredible gesture on Roma’s part, showing solidarity with those who perhaps have fewer resources with which to face life.”

Throughout the day, Roma Cares also continued its activities in support of the city’s hospitals during the current Covid-19 pandemic – delivering a further 2,700 masks to the Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital.

The masks will go to the medical staff at the hospital along with the parents of its young patients, some of whom have been recovering on wards for months.

“We are thankful to AS Roma for this initiative, because over the past few months our staff have experienced some tough moments and many emergencies,” said Massimiliano Raponi, Medical Director at Bambino Gesù Hospital.

“We have a lot of patients with chronic conditions, and the masks will help protect the mothers and fathers as they stay by their children’s sides throughout this – because it is vital that everyone is able to respect the health regulations.”

Wednesday’s deliveries are another element of the club’s ASSIEME (‘Together’) campaign, launched in April in an effort to assist those in most need throughout the current Coronavirus pandemic.

Since the start of the lockdown, Roma Cares has donated eight pulmonary ventilators and eight intensive care beds to hospitals in the city.

To date over 70,000 masks, 32,000 pairs of gloves and 11,000 bottles of sanitising gel have also been distributed among hospitals, medical centres, city workers, shelters and citizens around the capital.