Escape room company trades in props to make face shields for health care workers

Jacksonville, FL — Escape Game at the St. Johns Town Center is joining the fight to help health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Normally, the company would use it’s manufacturing warehouse to make props and immersive environments, but that all stopped when coronavirus hit.

“We found ourselves without any work in a difficult position and so we started to look for things to do,” Mark Flint, the CEO of the Escape Game, said.

Now, the business is shifting gears to make thin plastic face shields.

It wants to join the other companies across the country working to get medical supplies out to the health care workers.

Flint told Action News Jax the shields help protect hospital workers on the front lines.

"They’ve got an increased risk of exposure to the disease and like everyone else we heard the news stories about the shortages and the sacrifices that they’re making," Flint said.

The Escape Game at the St. Johns Town Center was one of the company's 18 locations forced to shutdown in March.

Since then the company has turned their attention on how they can help.

Right now, they’re making between 1,000 to 1,500 face shields per day and they currently have orders in place for 25,000 face shields.

Flint said they’re not done yet, they’re still accepting more orders.

He’s not sure when businesses will start to open up again but creating these face shields help keep many of his team members employed that would otherwise be without a job during the pandemic.