Millburn Senior Made 500 Masks With Item From Long-Closed Factory

MILLBURN, NJ — In the mid-1980s, the coat factory where Maria Petrilli worked closed down and gave her some materials.

Among those were huge rolls of elastic.

Petrilli, a senior citizen, has finally found a good use for them. Recently, she made over 500 masks from the rolls, donating them to senior citizens and hospitals over the last month.

Millburn Mayor Jackie Lieberberg cited Petrilli's work in her Friday night coronavirus update.

"Thank you Maria," Lieberberg wrote. "Your generosity and hard work are very much appreciated!"

The mayor also noted that as of Friday, there were 117 confirmed patients with covid 19 in the township. She said half of the residents had recovered. Four have passed away.

If you have symptoms, you can schedule an appointment at the county testing site in Newark by going here www.EssexCOVID.org. Call 973-324-9950 if you do not have internet service.

Lieberberg noted, "We are urging residents to not let their guard down. Stay vigilant and maintain social distancing guidelines. We are making great strides with our efforts and patience. Hang in there and continue to comply by wearing a face coverings or masks in essential stores, social distancing in our parks, on our streets and on our sidewalks. Please walk against traffic. This significantly helps maintain social distancing where sidewalks don’t exist."

If you want to find out more about getting food or other help in Millburn, or volunteering, click on our Millburn coronavirus roundup from this week here.

Got news? Email caren.lissner@patch.com. To keep up with Westfield and statewide announcements, sign up for free Patch breaking news alerts and daily newsletters.