Pure gold coronavirus face mask worth Sh400,000 custom-made for businessman

A man has had a special face mask made from pure gold as the coronavirus pandemic rages across the world. Indian businessman Shankar Kurade forked out the equivalent of £4,000 for the face covering which weighs 60 grams, took eight days to create.

Mr Kurhade said: "I love gold and I am very happy with wearing this mask. It is a thin mask and has tiny holes so I am not facing any problems with breathing."

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The 49-year-old businessman from western India's Pune city is known for his obsession for the yellow metal and never steps out without his flashy pieces of jewellery.

He is often seen with an enormous bracelet, a thick chain around his neck and rings on all of his right-hand fingers weighing more than one kilogram. The grandfather, who deals with installing industry sheds, got the unique idea after watching a man wearing a silver mask on TV news.

He said: "I always go out wearing all the jewellery pieces so when I saw this man on TV wearing a mask made of gold, I thought ‘why should I not get it made in gold?’

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"I went to my personal jeweller and proposed the idea. They took eight days to make it."

Mr Kurhade is not sure if his expensive mask is effective but he is overjoyed with the fame the mask has brought him.

He added: "Wherever I go, people stop me for selfies. They are startled to see me waking with a gold mask. They are curious to know if it is real gold."

India is grappling with a rising number of COVID-19 infections with over 697,000 positive cases and over 19,700 deaths.

The government of the world's second-most populous country has advised its citizens to always wear a mask in public as one of the preventive measures.