Hong Kong’s love-hate relationship with Covid-19 masks: from panic buying to lining up for limited-edition designer runs
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With a penchant for dressing sharply, Hongkonger Berry Chan Kin-wah would sometimes choose a face mask that complemented his outfit.
The 25-year-old said he once paid HK$200 (US$25) for 24 face coverings sold exclusively at concerts by the city’s hottest boy band, Mirror, and would queue up for the latest limited-edition runs sold when fashion brands teamed up with mask manufacturers.
“I think it has kind of become a fashion item given that even celebrities have been selling their own masks as concert merchandise,” he said.
The degree to which masks have become ubiquitous – and even morphed into a much-talked-about item among trendsetters – in Hong Kong stands in stark contrast with the panic Covid-19 sowed when it emerged at the start of 2020.
More than 900 days after the mask mandate was introduced, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced on Tuesday that Hong Kong would the following day join the rest of the world in ditching the rule.