While face masks offer protection for wearers and those around them, they can be slightly inconvenient when it comes to mealtimes.
Hoping to address this issue, Korean company Atman recently launched a new type of mask named Kosk — a blend of ko, the Korean word for nose, and mask.
Unlike conventional face masks, Kosk merely covers up the nose, allowing wearers to eat and drink while wearing it.
Even though the wearer’s mouth is left exposed, the mask prevents users from breathing in contaminated air through their noses.
As its name suggests, the nose mask only covers a small surface of the wearer’s face — a boomerang-esque area surrounding the nose.
The masks come in 2 pieces, one of which is removable and leaves the user’s mouth uncovered.
A box containing 10 of these masks are reportedly selling for ~S$11 (9,800 Won) on Coupang, a South Korean e-commerce website — clearly, these are not ideal for those who’re on a budget.
There are also companies that are only selling the nose ‘portion’ of the mask for a fraction of the price.
Believe it or not, this isn’t the first time such masks are designed.
Last year, Mexican researchers also came up with similar nose masks.
For all you know, they could very well protect people from getting infected while they slurp on their noodles or snacks.
Or maybe not, as a medical expert told Channel NewsAsia that wearing such masks are not worth it, but can be worn if “it makes them (you) feel better”.
As the famous saying goes, “In the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity”.
Changes are inevitable during the pandemic, and these fresh designs could be one of them.
While it may be hard not to be sceptical about the mask’s effectiveness, we hope the masks serve their intended purpose of protecting users.
Would you give these Kosk a try? Let us know in the comments.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from museun_happen on Twitter.
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