As fears about Coronavirus grip the world, Chinese citizens have been dealing with the experience of being at the epicentre of the outbreak by adopting new ways to try and avoid infection: building face-masks from some unlikely objects and materials. This has included the use of bras, sanitary pads, skins of citrus fruits and even vegetables like lettuce.
Images of Chinese citizens using unconventional objects to replace protective masks have been circulating on social media. The use of lettuce might, however, be a joke.
Worries about effective masks to avoid infection have been on the rise after authorities made it clear that surgical masks have to be replaced after around four hours of use – they cannot be replaced. The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised people around the world that they require masks only if they are actually handling patients who are infected with the Coronavirus. Moreover, WHO guidelines also advise that the use of marks be combined with extensive hand-washing using alcohol-based cleansing solutions or else soap and water.