PUNE: As wearing masks has been made mandatory, a Maharashtrian man has found out his own way to wear the essential item amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Shankar Kurade, a resident of Pimpri-Chinchwad of Pune district, has got himself a mask made of gold worth Rs 2.89 lakh to prevent himself from COVID-19. He loves wearing gold and has adorned himself with gold jewellery.

"It's a thin mask with minute holes so that there is no difficulty in breathing. I am not sure whether this mask will be effective," Kurade was quoted as saying by a news agency.

He said he got the idea when he saw a man on social media wearing a mask made of silver.

"I saw a video on social media of a man in Kolhapur wearing a silver mask and then an idea struck me to have a mask of gold. I talked to a goldsmith and he gave me this five and a half pound gold mask in a week," Kurade said.

"All my family members love gold, if they too demand it, then I will get it designed for them too. I do not know if I will be infected with coronavirus wearing a gold mask or not, but following all the rules of the government can prevent the spread of virus," he said.

Kurade says he has been a gold lover since his childhood.

Maharashtra: Shankar Kurade, a resident of Pimpri-Chinchwad of Pune district, has got himself a mask made of gold worth Rs 2.89 Lakhs. Says, "It's a thin mask with minute holes so that there's no difficulty in breathing. I'm not sure whether this mask will be effective." #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/JrbfI7iwS4
— ANI (@ANI) July 4, 2020