An image Instagrammed by Smriti Irani.
Union Minister Smriti Irani took to Instagram on Thursday to urge her followers to stitch face masks while at home during the lockdown. Ms Irani, 44, shared a series of Instagram stories that show her stitching a face mask using white cloth. Her Instagram stories come shortly after the Delhi government made it mandatory for people to wear masks when they come out of their homes during the lockdown in order to contain the spread of the highly infectious coronavirus.
"Wearing of facial masks can reduce the spread of coronavirus substantially. Therefore, it has been decided that facial masks will be compulsory for anyone stepping out of their house. Cloth masks will be eligible too," Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said on Wednesday.
Ms Irani started her tutorial by sharing a photo that shows her cutting a piece of white fabric.
"Machine nahi hai toh sui dhaage se kaam chalao (If you don't have a sewing machine, use a needle and thread)," wrote Smriti Irani.
"Ghar baither mask banao (Stitch a mask while sitting at home)," she added.
The Union Minister of Textiles concluded her posts by sharing a picture of the final result - a reusable cloth mask made at home.
Meanwhile, Ms Irani also shared a mask-free selfie with her Instagram followers. "Life unfiltered... #stayhome," she captioned the pic, which has collected nearly 70,000 'likes' since being posted last evening.
At the beginning of April, the Union Health Ministry had recommended that people cover their faces with homemade, reusable masks when stepping out, while also sharing steps to make a DIY face mask from any piece of clean cloth available at home.
" These face covers could be made out of clean cloth available at home, which needs to be thoroughly cleaned and washed before a face cover is stitched/made. The face cover should be prepared in such a manner that it can cover the mouth and nose completely and can be tied over the face easily," the ministry had recommended.
The government's recommendation for masks-for-all came soon after the United States recommended that Americans use face masks when outdoors, following growing scientific research suggesting their widespread use can contain the spread of coronavirus.
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