Online registration for free mask from Hong Kong government opens
- The masks are environmentally sustainable and can be washed and used 60 times.
- People on the internet have been joking about the mask’s appearance, saying it looks like underpants.
The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel launches a reusable mask which will be distributed to all Hong Kong residents for free.A scheme to give every Hongkonger a reusable mask began accepting online registration today.
The Hong Kong-developed mask is dubbed the Cu Mask+ and will be good for 60 washes. Cu is the chemical symbol for copper, an element with antimicrobial properties, which is used in the mask.
“The masks are environmentally sustainable,” said Secretary for Innovation and Technology Alfred Sit Wing-hang. “We heard from health experts that the threat of the coronavirus will not go away for some time, so Hong Kong people will need them.”
The registration form can be found at qmask.gov.hk. To claim a mask, Hong Kong residents can fill in a simple form with basic information like HKID number and delivery address.
Hong Kong students will return to school in late May
The masks are expected to be delivered within two weeks of a successful registration. The registration period lasts until June 6. As of noon today, more than 1 million people had registered for a mask.
People on Twitter and elsewhere on the internet have been joking about the appearance of the mask, saying it looks like underpants or a bra.
On a radio programme, Sit responded to comparisons of the mask’s appearance to underwear by saying, “These masks can be used every day like underwear, but they need to be washed every day after use like underwear. It is very simple.”
Staff writer and Wong Tsui-kai