A Pune man has managed to steal the spotlight on Indian social media after pictures of him donning a solid gold face mask surfaced. Reportedly, he was wearing the gold face mask to protect himself from the coronavirus. Shankar Kurade is a resident of Pimpri-Chinchwad, located on the outskirts of Pune City.
He has been fond of gold for as long as he can recall. He always wears gold chains on his neck and huge rings on most of his fingers before leaving his home. When people started wearing medical face masks to safeguard themselves against the COVID-19 pandemic, he knew that he had to come up with means of standing out from the crowd.
It was then when he saw a news report that talked about a man who had commissioned a silver face mask, which led Shankar to believe that he might be able to fashion something up for himself in gold. He says, ‘I saw a video on social media of a man in Kolhapur wearing a silver mask, and then an idea struck me to have a mask of gold. I talked to a goldsmith, and he gave me this gold mask in a week.’
The medical protective masks that people are using feature filters that inhibit microscopic particles from making their way through. However, the gold mask being used by Shankar only has small punctures that enable the air to pass through it. He claims that he has no trouble breathing when he is using but also admits that he has no idea if the mask is offering any sort of protection against the COVID-19.
He said, ‘It’s a thin mask with minute holes so that there is no difficulty in breathing. I am not sure whether this mask will be effective. All my family members love gold; if they too demand it, then I will get it designed for them too. I do not know if I will be infected with coronavirus wearing a gold mask or not, but following all the rules of the government can prevent the spread of the virus.’ The gold face mask cost $3,900!