New Balance has redirected a portion of its skilled US team to work on face masks in response to the ongoing coronavirus crisis. The footwear label posted the update on Instagram with an image of a mask and the call-out "Made shoes yesterday. Making masks today."

"We are producing prototypes for face masks in our Lawrence, MA manufacturing facility," the footwear brand has said in a press release, adding, "and [we] hope to scale production using our other New England factories soon."

The Boston-based brand has joined athletic brands such as Nike — which has begun to prototype personal protective equipment (PPE) — in the coronavirus relief effort. It has also recently pledged $2 million to relief efforts aimed at local, regional, and global communities affected by the pandemic.