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Indian man wears gold face mask to ward off coronavirus

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/reuters/07/05/india.jpg"/><figcaption>Shankar Kurhade wears 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.<em> REUTERS/Stringer</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>PUNE, India - An Indian man said he paid about $4,000 for a bespoke gold face mask to protect him from the coronavirus raging in the country. </p><p>The precious metal covering weighs 60 grams (two ounces) and took craftsmen eight days to make, said businessman Shankar Kurhade, from the western city of Pune.</p><p>&quot;It is a thin mask and has tiny pores that is helping me to breathe,&quot; Shankar told AFP.</p><p>&quot;I am not sure if it will be effective to protect me from a coronavirus infection but I am taking other precautions,&quot; he added. </p><p>When going out, the 49-year-old said he likes to adorn himself with gold jewelry weighing a kilogram, including a bracelet, necklace and rings on each finger of his right hand. </p><p>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. </p><p>&quot;People are asking me for selfies,&quot; he said. </p><p>&quot;They are awestruck when they see me wearing the gold mask in markets.&quot; </p><p>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. </p><div><strong>ja/amj/tom </strong></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>An Indian man said he paid about $4,000 for a bespoke gold face mask to protect him from the coronavirus raging in the country. </p>

An Indian man said he paid about $4,000 for a bespoke gold face mask to protect him from the coronavirus raging in the country.