Coronavirus Chicago: 4 local businesses chosen to make 1M masks for city

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Four local and diverse businesses have been selected to make one million reusable cloth masks for Chicago residents.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced in a release on Saturday that 250,000 of those masks will be distributed to aldermanic offices. In addition, the city's Racial Equity Rapid Response team will give out 750,000 of the masks to Chicago's most disproportionately impacted neighborhoods.

The companies are Barbara Bates Designs, G.A.I.A.U. Product Design & Development Ltd., Silk Screen Express and The Will Group.

The decision was based on their proposed product samples, production schedules and pricing, according to the release.

The Chicago Department of Public Health also reviewed each of the businesses' proposed masks to ensure they met national safety standards.