Factory workers lived at their plant for 28 days straight to make PPE materials in coronavirus fight

A team of 43 Pennsylvania factory workers clocked out from a 28-day shift on Sunday, after voluntarily living on-site at their plant in order to produce raw materials for making N95 masks and surgical gowns for medical workers in the fight against COVID-19.

The men are being hailed as heroes and were even recognized by the White House for their selflessness and patriotism as America continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic.

What are the details?

WPVI-TV reported that the employees at a Braskem America plant in Delaware County "unanimously decided to leave their families, agreeing to eat, sleep and live at the facility where they make equipment for health care workers."

The factory operated around the clock, with workers taking 12-hour daily shifts for nearly a month straight making polypropylene, a raw material used to make critical personal protection equipment for health care workers amid nationwide shortages.

Operations shift supervisor Joe Boyce told the outlet, "We're truly honored to be able to give back and support people we will never meet in some way." He added, "All the first responders, all the people on the front lines, we thank you. That's what makes our job easy to do."

Health care workers and other Americans have let the team know they are grateful for their sacrifices. Boyce told the Washington Post, "We've been getting messages on social media from nurses, doctors, EMS workers, saying thank you for what we're doing. But we want to thank them for what they did and are continuing to do. That's what made the time we were in there go by quickly, just being able to support them."

On Thursday, the White House shared the workers' story on Twitter with the message, "THANK YOU to the incredible, patriotic employees of the Braskem America plant in Pennsylvania!"