HUNTINGTON, WV (NewsNation) — A West Virginia university return-to-campus plan has a new safety feature to minimize the spread of coronavirus: personal protective equipment vending machines.
Monday was the first day back on campus for Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. While the majority of students were following guidelines, the four new vending machines on campus makes PPE, more accessible to students and faculty,
The vending machines sell a variety of masks, hand sanitizers, gloves and wipes all costing under four dollars.
The mask vending machines were installed by “RapidMask2Go“, the first company to offer PPE vending.
“The vending machine is about as quick as you can get,” said David Edelman, RapidMask2Go founder. “It’s right in front of you, it’s something you can see, it’s something you’ll walk away with, with that instant gratification and it’s something everyone is familiar with.”
Marshall University reached out to RapidMask2Go in July with interest.
“They’re serious about their students, they’re serious about their health and safety, but they also want to get back and educate,” said Edelman.
So far, Edelman has installed the vending machines at transit hubs in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Marshall is the first university to purchase them.
NewsNation affiliate WOWK contributed to this report.
