A businessman from the western city of Pune, India bought a gold face mask worth $4,000 (Dh14,691) as he believed it would protect him from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) raging his country.
It took eight days for craftsmen to chisel out the face mask weighing 60g, said its owner Shankar Kurhade.
“It is a thin mask and has tiny pores that is helping me to breathe,” AFP quoted Shankar as saying.
“I am not sure if it will be effective to protect me from a coronavirus infection, but I am taking other precautions,” he added.
Kurhade told AFP that he got the idea of having a face mask made of precious metal after seeing a man on television wearing one made from silver.
“People are asking me for selfies,” he said. “They are awestruck when they see me wearing the gold mask in markets.”
As of July 6, India has recorded 697,836 COVID-19 cases. Of whom, 424,891 patients have recovered while 19,700 have died.
