Saizeriya is encouraging customers to wear this DIY face mask while eating

Saizeriya is encouraging customers to wear this DIY face mask while eating
PHOTO: YouTube/株式会社サイゼリヤ

Japan's Saizeriya chain of restaurants have come up with a unique face mask that they say customers can use while dining at their restaurants.

Demonstrated in a YouTube video released last Friday (Aug 28), the method they "developed" (to use the term very loosely) calls for a regular face mask to be worn together with a paper napkin that restaurants would usually provide.

The napkin acts as some kind of newfangled face shield, or what we prefer to term "a bib for the face" while eating.

Here are the steps we observed on how to make one.

Step 1: Take off your mask and turn it upside down so the nose bridge wire is facing downwards.

Step 2: Lay it on a piece of napkin on the table so the top of the mask is closest to you. Leave a two- or three-finger gap between the edge of the mask and the napkin.

Step 3: Fold the top of the napkin over the mask.

Step 4: Then fold the other side of the mask (along with the napkin) up and over the other side.

Step 5: Lift it up and wear it as you would a regular mask.

The final product should look like this:

And here's how you would eat or drink, bringing your food or beverage behind the 'veil'. 

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"It might look fragile, but the paper napkin can prevent droplets," Saizeriya's president Issei Horino said during the news conference in Tokyo.

Saizeriya, which has outlets in Singapore as well as Australia, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, hopes other restaurants will also follow suit in encouraging the use of this "low-cost mask for meals".

"We want people to enjoy dining out even in the time of the coronavirus calamity," Horino was reported saying.

One other way to protect yourself from droplets while eating could also be to use a proper face shield. But if you don't want to bother carrying one with you, we guess this could be a workable alternative.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IebwbtGUti0[/embed]

candicecai@asiaone.com

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