$4k solid gold face mask for 'protection' against COVID-19

NEW DELHI –A resident of India's Maharashtra state has turned heads after wearing a solid gold face mask worth nearly $4,000 amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Shankar Kurade told a Russian news network that the mask is 5.5lbs in weight, and cost him 289,000 rupees [$3,869].

The mask has holes to help with breathing, but Kurade said “only wearing a mask is not sufficient social distancing is also necessary.”

India is the fourth country in the world with highest number of coronavirus cases, recording more than 22,700 new positive tests on Friday. Since the start of the outbreak, more than 651,000 cases of the disease have been reported by Indian public health officials, and the country's death toll currently stands at 18,695.