MORE CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 COVERAGE

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- From Flushing Hospital to Elmhurst, from local police precincts to post offices, many local front line workers are wearing face masks thanks to donations made by a group of local Asian American business owners and non-profit groups.The groups and business owners from the New York City area came together even before the government pleaded for help, to help make a difference."We had to do something and we did," said Robin Mui, CEO of Sing Tao Newspapers. "Imagine if they didn't have the masks available."Mui and close to a dozen others watched closely as the virus started taking the lives of people in Asia in January and sent critical supplies abroad. But they quickly switched gears when they saw the virus was spreading home to New York."We learned from China, that's why we know the first responders are so important to our community," Mui said.They began sending supplies to first responders a month ago, when they were even harder to find.Fifty local hospitals started receiving donations before the virus reached its peak, and they've donated more than 200,000 face masks and close to $1 million in donations."It feels good because we want to make New York safe," Mui said. "We work together as a family."