Indian man wears gold face mask to ward off coronavirus

A man in Pune paid about $4,000 for a bespoke gold face mask to protect him from the coronavirus raging in the country. 

The precious metal covering weighs 60 grams and took craftsmen eight days to make.

Businessman Shankar Kurhade, from the western city of Pune, told AFP: "It is a thin mask and has tiny pores that is helping me to breathe."

When going out, the 49-year-old said he likes to adorn himself with gold jewellery weighing a kilogramme, including a bracelet, necklace and rings on each finger of his right hand. 

"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 said he got the idea for the gold face mask after seeing a media report about a man wearing one made from silver. 

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.