399- Masking for a Friend

4/21/2020 by Roman Mars

Web player: https://podplayer.net/?id=102816136
Episode: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/99percentinvisible/dovetail.prxu.org/96/e75121d3-c346-45a6-a46a-4576806d4218/01_399_Masking_for_a_Friend_pt01.mp3

Here in the US, we’re not used to needing to cover half of our faces in public, but if you look at the other side of the world, it’s a different story. In parts of Asia, wearing a mask in response to the coronavirus pandemic was a totally easy and normal adjustment. Rebecca Kanthor is a reporter based in Shanghai who has lived in China for the past 17 years, and she tells us why the culture behind masks developed so differently there, and the doctor who started it all. Plus, we look at the manufacturers who pivoted to make products that are in short supply because of the pandemic.