Business Wants to Switch from Making Handbags to Masks

DULUTH (AP) -- A small business in Duluth wants to switch from manufacturing handbags and backpacks to face masks to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Christian Benson is the owner of Frost River Trading Company, which manufactures handbags. He says his wife is an anesthesiologist at a Duluth hospital is getting frustrated with a lack of surgical masks to protect her and other employees from the virus.

Benson says he wants to halt Frost River's production so his workers can use their sewing machines to make masks. But he says he needs help from lawmakers to find the proper materials.