People in Kathmandu joke that the face mask has now become part of the national dress – an indispensable accessory in an effort to protect themselves from the dust. Nepal has the worst air quality in the world, according to the Environmental Performance Index. (Photo by Pete Pattisson/The Guardian)

This photo taken on January 30, 2020 shows officials in protective suits checking on an elderly man wearing a facemask who collapsed and died on a street near a hospital in Wuhan. AFP journalists saw the body on January 30, not long before an emergency vehicle arrived carrying police and medical staff in full-body protective suits. The World Health Organization declared a global emergency over the new coronavirus, as China reported on January 31 the death toll had climbed to 213 with nearly 10,000 infections. (Photo by Hector Retamal/AFP Photo)

Barber Herman Mulyana (R) gives a haircut to a customer while wearing protective attire made from plastic garbage bags at a barbershop in Bogor, Indonesia, 06 April 2020. The Trade Ministry of Indonesia issued a regulation temporarily recinding all requirements for the import of protective gear and medical equipment, to counter shortages of many items used to treat COVID-19 patients and prevent the further spread of the disease. (Photo by Adi Weda/EPA/EFE)

A soldier beaten by the mob (C) is protected by plain chothes policemen after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey July 16, 2016. (Photo by Murad Sezer/Reuters)

A man dressed as a bear and wearing a protective face mask amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) stands in front of a fountain in central Kyiv, Ukraine on August 11, 2020. (Photo by Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)

A man wearing a protective face mask takes a photo near an art exhibition at a shopping mall, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Jakarta, Indonesia, March 15, 2021. (Photo by Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/Reuters)

Christmas baubles shaped as Santa Clauses wearing protective masks are pictured amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Eichenau, Germany, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Michaela Rehle/Reuters)

Thai Buddhist monks wear face shields to protect themselves from new coronavirus as they walk to collect alms from devotees in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, March 31, 2020. (Photo by Sakchai Lalit/AP Photo)