As COVID-19 continues to strike with new variants popping up left and proper, many countries have been doing their greatest making an attempt to sort out the virus. Whether it’s social distancing, masks mandates, curfews, or venue closures—international locations have been making an attempt to lower the surge of COVID-19 instances.
South Korea is likely one of the international locations which were giving their all to minimize the virus’s presence inside their nation, however their most up-to-date preventative measure has some scratching their heads.
On February 4, 2022, quite a few Korean information websites started reporting a couple of new masks out there inside the nation referred to as kosk. Derived from the Korean phrase for nostril, ‘ko’ and the English phrase ‘mask,’ this new facial protecting is strictly what the identify means—a nostril masks.
This nose-specific masks is being marketed particularly for restaurant use, in order that diners can cowl their noses and eat in peace whereas they sit with different restaurant goers. Kosk customers can both put on it below their regular face masks…
…whereas some kosk manufacturers have come out with their very personal model with a easy mouth attachment that’s simply detachable.
While Korean netizens have expressed their confusion upon seeing the nose-only masks, the worldwide response has been accepting of the kosk thus far. Catherine Bennett, an Australian professor of epidemiology (department of drugs that offers with illnesses), shared that whereas individuals might imagine “it’s weird because it only covers the nose, it’s better than nothing.”
British information website The Guardian revealed their related ideas on the nose-mask. They shared that whereas it will not be the simplest, “wearing a nose mask may not be as ridiculous” as individuals might imagine since research have beforehand proven that the nostril is the simplest approach for the virus to enter.
With South Korea’s current surge of COVID-19 instances—with their file breaking 22,907 this previous week—plainly the nation is doing no matter they will to lower the quantity.