America's toy factory now making coronavirus face shields

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A Massachusetts factory that normally makes some of America's most beloved board games, including Monopoly, Risk and Candyland, has pivoted to making personal protective equipment for heath care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Charlie Baker said Saturday.

The Cartamundi-owned Hasbro factory is making 50,000 face shields per week for hospitals in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, the Republican said after a tour of the East Longmeadow facility.

Making games and making personal protective equipment have the same goal, President and COO John Frascotti said.

“It is our job to make the world a better place for children and their families,” he said.

Baker also said an investigation into the high number of COVID-19-related deaths at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home is progressing, but there is no timetable for completion.

Former federal prosecutor Mark Pearlstein has “free reign” to conduct his investigation, Baker said.

State health officials on Saturday announced an additional 174 coronavirus deaths, pushing the state’s total to more than 2,700.

The state also also reported nearly 2,400 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total number of reported cases to more than 53,000.