Etsy CEO Josh Silverman discussed the e-retailer's sales swings from March to April and how the company has responded to the coronavirus pandemic.

How to lip read when everyone’s face is hidden behind a mask? That is the challenge facing deaf people across the world as the Covid-19 pandemic makes face masks a part of daily life. The answer could be transparent face masks but such masks are in short supply, leading some to make their own.

This week we bring you a show all about face masks as France starts to lift its lockdown. Faced with controversial shortages at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, French authorities initially rejected the notion of a generalised use before finally touting the device as essential, and in some situations compulsory.

People all over the world are now being advised to wear face masks to slow the spread of coronavirus. 

Luckily, Disney is here to bring a spark to this new corona fashion wear, especially for kids who are more frightened these days. 

In a statement on its home page, the company expressed its commitment to serving the communities during these challenging times by creating a new line of family-friendly reusable cloth face masks featuring its timeless stories and beloved characters.  

Disney announced it will donate one million cloth face masks for children and families in underserved and vulnerable communities across the U.S. and pledged to donate all the profits to the non-profit organization, Medshare, which specializes in redistributing medical supplies to hospitals in need. 

From Baby Yoda to Winnie The Pooh and Mickie Mouse, the masks are aimed at kids and kids at heart who can finally have a chance to let out their inner character. 

You can purchase a four-pack of face masks for $19.99 in small, medium, and large sizes. 

Check out some of the cool designs. 

Mid-day online journalists interact with the frontline workers in a new series 'Real heroes of coronavirus'. Media photographers, reporters, railway staff and medical workers tell their stories of grit, determination and every-day challenges in times of the pandemic.

Mail Express Guard Vishal Kalage has been working with Central Railway's Miraj division in Sangli, Maharashtra for 11 years. After the Railways decided to stall passengers train services, Kalage, who studied micro-biology, decided to use the lockdown period by making masks and face shields at home with the help of his wife and mother and contribute in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Vishal Kalage distributes face masks to doctors, police staff and common people free of cost

We spoke to Vishal Kalage about his noble work and what it feels like to contribute to the society in the fight against coronavirus.

Here's an excerpt from the interview.

What inspired you to take up the task of making face masks?

When the lockdown was imposed, I went to buy medicines for my mother, who is an heart patient and I inquired about the cost of a disposable face mask. I was surprised when the shopkeeper told me that the face mask would cost Rs 30 and had to be thrown away after six hours of use. That is when I decided that I should make face masks.

When I pitched the idea to my wife (Rohini) and mother (Menakshi), they immediately agreed to the plan. My wife has done a course in fashion designing, she made few sample masks before we zeroed in on the final product.

Speaking about the shortage of face mask in the market due to the sudden demand, which emerged after the outbreak of the coronavirus cases in Maharashtra, Vishal said, "Honestly, there were no sanitisers at that time; hand wash was also not available and many medical shops were selling available stock at a higher price. At the same time, due to panic buying many front line workers including doctors and police staff did not have masks. Seeing the crisis that had emerged due to the shotage in supply of masks, I decided to make face masks at home and help the country fight the coronavirus pandemic."

What challenges did you face while making face masks at home?

Due to the nationwide lockdown, the fabric required to make masks were not available in the market. After searching four to five orthopedic medical shops, I finally got the required fabric from which I could make face masks at home. I purchased 10 (2x6) bedsheets at Rs 360 per bedsheet for making the masks. Five bed-sheets were used to make the lace while the other five bed sheets were used to stitch the main bracket of the face mask (three tier/plating of the face mask).

Vishal Kalage's wife sitches face mask at home (on left) and she posing with the final mask which was made at home (on right)

When did you start making the face masks?

On Day 2 of the initial 21-day nationwide lockdown, we started making face masks at home. In the beginning, we were able to stitch 160 face masks on a daily basis. Now we stitch 200 mask everyday. To date, we have stitched over 4,500 face masks. The face masks have been distributed free of cost to the railway staff, police staff and even hospitals among others.

How did you manage the production, did you hire people or the family managed it?

Initially, we hired two women from the garment industry, who had lost their livelihood due to the lockdown. The lace work was done by them, one would do the cutting while the other woman would work on the laces. The rest of the work required for making the masks was looked after by my wife, mother and myself.

Although the women worked for a few days, Vishal said he paid them adequate sum to sustain during the crisis.

Can you take us through the process of making face mask at home?

The cloth pieces are cut from the bed sheets as per the required size, dipped into dettol for nearly two hours and left out under the sun to dry. Once the pieces are completely dry, we start the process of stitching the mask. After the stitching, the face masks are ironed at 350 degree celsius for three minutes on both sides.

Explaining why ironing the face masks was important, Kalage said, "Being a microbiology student, I realised that the face masks will have to be bacteria free and clean, which is why we decided to press it under 350 degree celsius. This way we created a sterilisation process at home only."

To date, Vishal Kalage and his family have made 4500 masks and 150 face shield which has been distributed free of cost

After the masks are ready, Vishal's daughter Nakshaytra and son Nakshayraj help him in packaging by making a bundle of 50 face masks each. The kids then arrange these bundles in a bag which Vishal Kalage distributes to the doctors, police staff and the public at free of cost.

Besides face masks, Vishal also makes face shields at home. Using lamination sheets which his school going children use, Vishal with his wife's help made face shields at home. "We use lamination sheets and teflon sheets to make simple yet protective face shieds at home," he said.

How did the idea of making face shields come up?

While buying bedsheets for the face masks, I was shocked to learn that face shields made up of a plastic layer with a fibre like headband were sold for Rs 550 in medical shops.

I came back home with the pictures of the shield and referring the pictures I made my own face shield. The final product I made at home cost me Rs 80. Moreover, the shields are reusable, scratch proof and water proof and it can protect the doctors or the police staff directly from the saliva or the droplets of the COVID-19 patients.

Vishal Kalage has been working as a mail express guard at Miraj with Central Railway's Pune division since the last 11 years

How did you manage the expenses?

My wife and my mother helped me a lot and supported me. In the beginning, we used our little savings to make masks and face shields at home. But as the good word spread, our friends and family came together and contributed and soon I had Rs 14,500. This amount was used to make more face masks and face shields at home. The Railways also helped us by providing 10 linen blankets free of cost.

What precautions do you undertake to stay protected against COVID-19?

Whenever I come back home after distributing masks or have been out for personal work, I ensure to take bath. Before entering the house, I sanitise my bike and my shoes as I have small children and elderly mother, who is a heart patient. I take all these measure to make sure that no one should get contaminated and my family is safe and protected against COVID-19. I would request people to follow the hygiene instructions given by the government, stay home and be safe."

Vishal made the face shield at home at a nominal cost of Rs 80 

How do you feel now that you are able to contribute for a noble cause during such a crisis?

The feeling of helping people and the country during the coronavirus crisis cannot be expressed in words. All I know is that at night, I sleep with deep satisfaction and happiness.

Rs 80
The cost of face shield which Vishal Kalage made at home

4,500
The number of face masks the Kalage family stitched and distributed free of cost

150
The number of face shield he made at home

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American actor Matthew McConaughey and his wife, Camila, donated approximately 80,000 face masks to COVID-19 first responders in Texas and Louisiana, officials said. The couple gave away the masks at the Austin Fire Department on Friday, Fox News said quoting KEYE.

Expressing its gratitude, the Austin Fire Department tweeted on Saturday, "The C-shift at Station 32 got a surprise yesterday, when McConaughey and @iamcamilaalves stopped by to let us know we're getting several 1,000 N-95 masks soon, part of their donation of 80K to healthcare workers, FFs, and police officers in #ATX and #NOLA! DC T.

just keep winning #HookEm @UTAustin @Jeopardy https://t.co/eqdQf8FAL2

— Matthew McConaughey (@McConaughey) April 7, 2020

Smith, AFD" Earlier on Sunday, the COVID-19 death toll in Texas reached 270, following a rise of nearly 1,000 more positive tests for the disease in the state. Overall, roughly 13,500 cases have been reported so far, according to Fox News. Camila wrote on Instagram about the donations. She wrote, "Our mission is to protect those who protect us, by providing healthcare workers, firefighters, police officers and others with approximately 80,000 masks needed to battle the #COVID19 virus."

She hoped that the move would "inspire you to pick a lane to help others whatever that lane is even if your lane is helping your neighbour, calling people, emotional support, donations, volunteer... pick a lane and do it well! Stay strong this too shall pass..." Last month, McConaughey urged students at the University of Texas in Austin to stay at their homes after dozens tested positive following an ill-fated spring-break trip to Mexico.

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It seems like American actor Ben Affleck has become a real smoke show. According to Page Six, the 'The Way Back' star took yet another stroll with girlfriend Ana de Armas in Los Angeles on Thursday (local time) but didn't let his face mask get in the way of stopping for a cigarette break. Photos show the 47-year-old actor keeping the mask over his nose as he puffs away, seemingly defeating the purpose of the mask.

The couple, who met on the set of their forthcoming movie, 'Deep Water,' were seen last week taking de Armas' dog for a walk.

During that walk, they opted to go mask-free but the 31-year-old actress did show off her 2,600 USD Gucci tracksuit.

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With the Coronavirus outbreak wreaking havoc across the globe with millions of people being infected and scores of lives claimed, government have made wearing face masks mandatory for people. The decision has made face masks a prized commodity for people.

Traffic in California came to brief halt after drivers had stopped to pick up face masks that were littered on the road. Although it is not clear how the masks ended up spilled on the highway, CBS reported that a man was spotted throwing boxes of masks on the road from a white truck.

The California Highway Patrol-Hayward posted pictures of the incident on their Facebook page where scores of masks were found lying on the southbound lanes of Interstate 880. “Multiple individuals stopped in lanes and stepped out of their vehicles to pick up masks,” read the post, adding that debris has been cleared and the lanes were opened.

The post also appealed drivers not to step out of their vehicle on an active freeway. Many users commenting on the post criticized the driver who reportedly threw the mask on the road, instead of donating it. One user said, “Just terrible! That person has no respect.” Another user said, “The highway does not have a need for medical masks. Therefore, I would have donated to an entity that did! A user said, “What a waste of something necessary now.”

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Amid the rapid spread of COVID-19 across the globe, a new study has stressed that it's time to encourage people to wear face masks as a precautionary

Face masks may protect Livestock workers like those who work on hog farms from a resistant form of staph bacteria. Even the family members of these farmers

According to the reports, Priyanka Gandhi has sent over one lakh face masks to Lucknow on Friday.

As US health workers suffer from inadequate protection, there are signs of a shifting world order

The PM is expected to recommend people wear them in the office, on public transport and when shopping despite not making them compulsory in England.

Boris Johnson's plan to ease the UK's coronavirus lockdown will see people urged to cycle to work, firms told to provide staff with face masks and garden centres allowed to reopen from Wednesday.

DR MARTIN SCURR: Too often in its response to the Covid-19 pandemic the Government has lagged behind other countries.

DR MARTIN SCURR: Too often in its response to the Covid-19 pandemic the Government has lagged behind other countries.

Tala Alamuddin Le Tallec, who lives in Singapore, has uploaded £25 masks in a ranger of prints and colours to her fashion website Totally Tala, alongside pouches for carrying hand sanitiser.

This weekend Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury's and Asda gave masks to employees as the Government comes under more scrutiny to change their recommendations to protect workers.

North Korea has not yet confirmed any cases of the coronavirus, formally known COVID-19, but has closed the land border with China, where 254 people died yesterday from the outbreak.

A couple who were forced to cancel their dream wedding just two days ahead of time due to coronavirus restrictions have posed for a confronting shoot to remember their date by.

Migrants wearing facemasks were pictured arriving at Dover after crossing the English Channel in a large rubber dingy today.

Kolkata, May 9 () A number of entrepreneurs basedin rural areas of the country have taken to manufacturing facemasks amid dwindling demand for their regular produce in thewake of the coronavirus pandemic, an official said onSaturday.Around, 500 rural entrepreneurs have so far producedand sold 3.5 lakh such masks under the Start-up VillageEntrepreneurship Programme (SVEP), he said.They produce around 2,500 masks per day for healthprofessionals, policemen, media personnel and cleaning staff,the official said.In West Bengal, 38 entrepreneurs manufacture nearly600 masks a day in blocks of Dinhata, Pathar Pratima andManikchak in different districts of the state.The entrepreneurs, trained under SVEP -- under theNational Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) -- have sold 49,000masks in the state till date,

Hugh Jackman and his wife, Deborra-lee Furness, stepped out for a walk with their dogs in New York City on Thursday.

JOHN ILLMAN - I welcome the news that London mayor Sadiq Khan is campaigning to make mask wearing compulsory for people travelling in the capital during the crisis. Others must soon follow.

North Korea has not yet confirmed any cases of the coronavirus, formally known COVID-19, but has closed the land border with China, where 254 people died yesterday from the outbreak.

Mayor Lester Friedman said those driving with their windows open would also need to wear a face mask. Celebrities including Simon Cowell and Justin Bieber have homes in the Californian city.

They are expecting their first child together later this year. And it seems Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom are preparing for their arrival as they left Target on Friday with multiple shopping carts.

Authorities in the Jakarta-area were questioning two people after the Tuesday evening raid at a warehouse in satellite city Tangerang, where nearly half a million surgical masks were found.

Queen Letizia and King Felipe of Spain donned face masks and leather gloves to attend an engagement at the the Electricity Control Centre facilities in Madrid, Spain today.

Top experts from the prestigious Royal Society concluded that masks - even home-made ones - can reduce the transmission of the deadly infection.

Israel Adesanya is providing 10,000 three-ply face masks and 1,000 eye protection face shields with his own money to healthcare workers at Whanganui Hospital in New Zealand.

Staff at the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Foundation Trust discovered boxes of face masks which expired in 2012 had been relabelled with 2022 expiry dates and deemed fit for use.

While passengers are encouraged to bring their own masks and gloves, equipment will be provided for those arriving without in the early stages of the trial scheme.

To give his look extra punch, a gimmick promoting his latest single Mask Off, the cunning lyricist had sure his daughter Londyn wore a bejewelled mask of a similar style.

Australia has agreed to send Taiwan one million litres of alcohol to make sanitiser and vaccines in exchange for three tonnes of material to make face masks.  

Boris Johnson today announced that wearing face masks will be part of the UK's coronavirus lockdown exit strategy.

Nicola Sturgeon has already urged Scots to don home-made masks - but not medical-grade ones - in shops and on public transport.

The PM is expected to recommend people wear them in the office, on public transport and when shopping despite not making them compulsory in England.

Boris Johnson's plan to ease the UK's coronavirus lockdown will see people urged to cycle to work, firms told to provide staff with face masks and garden centres allowed to reopen from Wednesday.

The Chicago-based carrier said that the 'proactive and aggressive' measure is to keep all staff and customers safe during the coronavirus crisis and follows the latest advice from the CDC.

Air France and KLM say they will be asking customers to wear a mask throughout their journey from next Monday. German airline Lufthansa brought in the new rule yesterday (May 4).

All Wolves staff have been provided with face masks by the club as they are urged to take extra care during the coronavirus crisis.

Li, 15, collapsed and died on April 24 after jogging in PE class while wearing a face mask. The other Chinese schoolboy, 14, reportedly died during a running exam whilst donning a mask.

The NBA will begin selling team-emblazoned face coverings with proceeds going to food bank networks across the US and Canada. NBA partner Fanatics will make the masks.

The feature is planned for the US, but 'similar markets' will also see the feature introduced, it is believed. Exact timings and locations for its roll-out have not been revealed.

A number of entrepreneurs based in rural areas of the country have taken to manufacturing face masks amid dwindling demand for their regular produce in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, an official said on Saturday. Around, 500 rural entrepreneurs have so far produced and sold 3.5 lakh such masks under the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP), he said. They produce around 2,500 masks per day for health professionals, policemen, media personnel and cleaning staff, the official said. In West Bengal, 38 entrepreneurs manufacture nearly 600 masks a day in blocks of Dinhata, Pathar Pratima and Manikchak in different districts of the state. The entrepreneurs, trained under SVEP -- under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) -- have sold 49,000 masks in the state till date, he said. Apart from West Bengal, the programme is active in the rural belts of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand and Haryana, he added. The masks are made in hygienic ..

The investigation brings to light the issue of unverified sellers cashing in on keywords and marketing products against the policies of e-commerce sites.

Sabyasachi Mukherjee is averse to the idea of putting privilege on things that are essential for health.

The order has been issued under the Epidemic Diseases Act and is aimed at containing the spread of coronavirus.

International brands have begun sharing prototypes of fashion masks in cotton and blends with Indian suppliers who are awaiting a nod from the Centre to export non-surgical masks.