Boy Wears Tattered Mask to School, Sad Plight Goes Viral

A boy wears a tattered disposable mask to school, with the string sewn back because his parents can’t afford to buy a new one but the kids are required to wear it in class! His sad plight goes viral, with many netizens hoping this crisis would end very soon…

Boy’s Tattered Mask Goes Viral

As the Malaysian federal government announced the enforcement of the mandatory use of face masks across the country since August 1, 2020, a lot of its citizens are worried because they can’t afford the hefty RM1,000 ($240) fine.

But because masks are also too expensive for the poor folks, many have turned to reusing what’s supposed to be disposable masks!

Surgical masks designed for just a few hours of use are being reused so many times for over so many days that these actually become an additional health hazard. Instead of protecting people from COVID-19, the dirty masks could lead to other health issues.

What’s really sad is that even young kids are exposed to this problem, especially because masks are required in school.

mask

Photo credit: Fazri Hassan / Twitter

Fazri Hassan is a primary school teacher in Malaysia. While explaining to his students the importance of using masks, he saw that one student appears to have a very dirty mask. But it saddened the teacher to see that the mask is not just very dirty but also tattered and has obviously been used for many days!

I took a moment of my time today to explain to my students why wearing a face mask is important in crowded places. I was immediately at a loss for words the moment I noticed one of my students was wearing a dirty face mask, with its ear loops needing to be sewn back in place,” Hassan shared.

Apparently, the student has been wearing it for weeks. The teacher also learned from the other students that they are using their disposable masks for 2-3 days, sometimes more, because the masks are really too expensive for their parents to buy.

Taking pity on his students, Hassan decided to buy boxes of masks to distribute a fresh one to the kids every morning. What’s sad is that the teacher isn’t likely to get funding from the school for these masks but he plans on continuing with this advocacy to ensure his class is safe.

Can You Use a Disposable Mask?

Disposable masks are meant to be discarded after a single use. However, if you take care of them properly, it’s still possible to reuse a disposable masks but care must be taken to ensure that the mask is not contaminated.

Amid the shortage of masks due to the COVID-19 crisis, even hospital staff found themselves reusing masks for many days!

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