Coronavirus-wary Chinese citizens are turning to fruits and vegetables to guard against the deadly disease — by wearing them as makeshift masks.
In addition to high-tech hazmat suits and low-tech plastic jugs, people have been spotted covering their faces with tangerine and grapefruit skins and even iceberg lettuce, though the latter was likely in jest.
Feminine products also have been put to use, including sanitary pads affixed to masks and a bra configured to fit over a man’s face in the absence of actual medical devices, according to the Daily Mail.
The inventive protective measures emerged as Chinese health officials warned people not to reuse surgical masks after videos showed some boiling the items and hanging them up to dry, the news outlet reported.
A Gansu province health official said the masks should be discarded and replaced after only four hours of use.
More than 50 million residents have been put on lockdown in China, where 170 deaths have been reported. More than 7,700 have been infected by the virus around the world.
