appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Agence France-Presse

An Indian man said he paid about US$4,000 for a bespoke gold face mask to protect him from the coronavirus raging in the country.
The precious metal covering weighs 60 grammes (two ounces) and took craftsmen eight days to make, said businessman Shankar Kurhade, from the western city of Pune.
“It is a thin mask and has tiny pores that is helping me to breathe,” Shankar said.
“I am not sure if it will be effective to protect me from a coronavirus infection but I am taking other precautions,” he added.

When going out, the 49-year-old said he likes to adorn himself with gold jewellery weighing a kilogram, including a bracelet, necklace and rings on each finger of his right hand.
Kurhade – whose company makes industrial sheds – said he got the idea for the gold face mask after seeing a media report about a man 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.”
India has made face masks mandatory in public places in a bid to control the spread of the virus in the country, which has around 650,000 confirmed cases and more than 18,600 fatalities.


Hong Kong’s Peninsula Hotels sees ‘bleisure’ boom after pandemic curbs, CEO says

US could require US$15,000 bonds for some tourist, business visas

China’s Shenzhen, Guangzhou airports hit record highs, surpass pre-Covid passenger levels

Landmark US Chinatown survived Covid, anti-Asian violence – but tariffs pose new threat

Coronavirus pandemic

Coronavirus bling bling: Indian businessman wears US$4,000 custom gold mask for protection

Shankar Kurhade says people ask him for selfies. Photo: Reuters

Shankar Kurhade (48), shows his face mask made out of gold as he poses for a photograph amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Pune, India, July 4, 2020. Kurhade claims the mask weighs 50 grams and costs around $3870. REUTERS/Stringer REUTERS/Stringer NO ARCHIVES. NO RESALES.

Coronavirus: India reports nearly 20,000 cases a day as it struggles to contain pandemic

Indian health workers wearing personal protective equipment arrive at a coronavirus hotspot in Mumbai. Photo: EPA

epa08514173 A general aerial view of the slums in Appa Pada area, a COVID-19 hotspot, in Mumbai, India, 28 June 2020. The Indian government has eased some coronavirus related restrictions but has said the lockdown will continue until 30 June, in 'containment zones'. According to the latest reports, India has surpassed 500,000 confirmed coronavirus cases. EPA-EFE/DIVYAKANT SOLANKI

Commuters ride along a street past closed shops following strict lockdown norms for weekends and public holidays were imposed as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, in Amritsar on June 28, 2020. (Photo by NARINDER NANU / AFP)

epa08514429 A symmetrical image shows a barber wearing protective gear giving a customer a haircut while both are reflected in a mirror at the Seven Star hair salon in Mumbai, India, 28 June 2020. Barbershops and hair salons have reopened their doors for business following around three months of lockdown imposed in a bid to slow down the spread of the pandemic COVID-19 disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The state authorities of Maharashtra have begun relaxing restrictions for many key sectors, as has India's national government in New Delhi, though the latter has said that certain lockdown measures will continue until at least 30 June in so-called 'containment zones' where the virus is more prevalent. According to the latest figures, India has already surpassed the 500,000 mark in terms of confirmed coronavirus cases. EPA-EFE/DIVYAKANT SOLANKI

Coronavirus: India uses cardboard beds as hospitals run out of space

India is deploying thousands of the disposable cardboard beds. Photo: Reuters

This photograph taken on June 25, 2020 shows a worker monitoring a machine processing sheet rolls at a factory in which cardboard beds are made for COVID-19 coronavirus patients at Bhiwadi in the state of Rajasthan. - India is deploying thousands of beds made of cardboard to makeshift medical facilities as it struggles to deal with the surging number of coronavirus cases. (Photo by Money SHARMA / AFP) / To go with 'INDIA-HEALTH-VIRUS' by Bhuvan Bagga

This photograph taken on June 25, 2020 shows workers demonstrating how to arrange a cardboard bed at a factory in which cardboard beds are made for COVID-19 coronavirus patients at Bhiwadi in the state of Rajasthan. - India is deploying thousands of beds made of cardboard to makeshift medical facilities as it struggles to deal with the surging number of coronavirus cases. (Photo by Money SHARMA / AFP) / To go with 'INDIA-HEALTH-VIRUS' by Bhuvan Bagga

A volunteer walks past disposable beds made out of cardboard at the campus of Radha Soami Satsang Beas, a spiritual organization, where a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) care centre has been constructed for the patients amidst the spread of the disease, in New Delhi, India, June 26, 2020. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

‘Inhuman’: outrage in India after coronavirus victim’s body moved with excavator

Andhra Pradesh chief minister Jagan Reddy's office said the handling of the body was ‘inhuman’. Photo: Twitter

News

Asia

South Asia


People are ‘awestruck’ when they see him wearing the mask in markets
India has made face masks mandatory in public places



‘I am not sure if it will be effective to protect me from a coronavirus infection but I am taking other precautions,’ he says.


Coronavirus pandemic: All stories

Coronavirus India

Offbeat

India

Coronavirus bling bling: Indian businessman wears US$4,000 custom gold mask for protection

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} People are ‘awestruck’ when they see him wearing the mask in markets India has made face masks mandatory in public places

People are ‘awestruck’ when they see him wearing the mask in markets

India has made face masks mandatory in public places