Israeli company invents masks diners can wear while eating out

Israeli inventors have developed a coronavirus mask that lets diners eat food without taking it off, a device they say could make a visit to a restaurant less risky.

This PAC Man-like mask is operated by a lever which has to be squeezed to open the slot near the mouth so that the food can pass through. There is another option as well, wherein the slot opens automatically when a spoon or fork comes near it.

“The mask will be opened mechanically by hand remote or automatically when the fork is coming to the mask,” said Asaf Gitelis, vice president of Avtipus Patents and Inventions.

The mask is yet not available to the public. Once this product hits the market, customers will have to shell out a premium of $2.85 above the price of a normal medical mask.

Meanwhile, even though the restrictions have been eased and restaurants worldwide are reopening, eating out is not recommended by experts right now.

Israel has largely reopened its economy after a dramatic drop in cases of the novel coronavirus. Israel was one of the first countries to close its borders and impose increasingly stringent restrictions on movement to hamper the domestic outbreak. 

The deadly coronavirus which originated from China's Wuhan city last year has claimed 325,681 lives and infected over 5 million people.

(With inputs from Reuters)