Demand for face masks of all kinds have skyrocketed across the world, and it's particularly difficult to acquire in China where the novel coronavirus broke out in the Hubei province.

Many organisations and individuals from overseas have since sent masks from overseas to help the Chinese cope with the masks shortage back home.

On Feb. 2, Chinese singer, Hu Haiquan, has attracted the limelight for reportedly sending 160,000 masks from Singapore to China in two batches.

Hu is part of the soft-rock duo, Yu Quan, and he has also set up a venture capital fund, "Haiquan Fund", since 2003.

According to a Weibo post by Haiquan Fund on Feb. 2, Hu was spotted at Changi Airport delivering the last 40 boxes, about 80,000 pieces of masks, back to those in need in China.

About 10 families who were also boarding the same flight helped him check in some of the masks.

It was supposedly the last flight from an unidentified airline to China before flight suspension.

Haiquan Fund also thanked these volunteers in the post and said that this way of sending masks back can be more efficient than a proper channel.

As to how he managed to get hold of such a large quantity and if it was even from Singapore, was not explained.

In recent days, a shortage of face masks has sparked price increases in Singapore that has, in turn, attracted the attention of the authorities here who are calling on retailers to explain the hike or face formal sanctions.

Top photos from Haiquan Fund/via Phoenix Weibo

Content that keeps Mothership.sg going

??
Quick!!! Cheap food, flights and activities here!

??
Technology can be scary for older folks, but it doesn’t have to be.