With more than 50 countries around the world requiring people to cover their faces when they leave home, face masks are likely to remain a common sight for a long time, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

In response to this, Israeli inventors have developed a face mask that allows diners to eat without taking the mask off, an invention that is meant to make visiting restaurants less risky.

Company plans to start manufacturing within a few months

According to Reuters, the mask is operated by squeezing a lever, similar to that of a bicycle's handbrake, which opens a slot in the front of the mask to allow food to pass through.

Mask in a restaurant? This one can gobble like Pac-Man https://t.co/upFUh7hceq pic.twitter.com/ZT0Z8l0PqO

— Reuters (@Reuters) May 18, 2020

The mask will also open automatically when the fork is approaching the mask.

While the mask will handle solid food well, it was reported that eating could get messy with food such as ice-cream or sauces.

The company behind the product, Avtipus Patents and Inventions, said that it plans to start manufacturing the mask "within months", and that the company had already submitted a patent.

Reuters also reported that the masks would likely sell at a premium of between S$1.21 to S$4.03 over regular surgical masks.

F&B outlets remain closed for dining in for the time being

According to the Multi-Ministry Taskforce, while circuit breaker will end on June 2, a new series of measures will take its place.

Phase 1, or the Safe Re-opening phase, will allow certain activities that do not pose a high risk of infection to be resumed.

This includes certain workplaces reopening, the gradual reopening of preschools and places of worship open for private worship.

However, dining in at food and beverage (F&B) outlets will only occur from Phase 2 onwards, which is also known as the Safe Transition phase.

This will only take place after the end of Phase 1, which is expected to last at least four weeks, or possibly longer.

Given that F&B outlets remain closed for dining in, the demand for such remote-controlled face masks will likely be low, especially in the near future.

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Top image from Clean & Green Singapore/FB and Unsplash.