Promoting cloth face masks amid shortage

Pretty safe: A woman showing a face mask she made in a workshop in Bangkok. — Reuters

Health authorities are encouraging people to make cloth face masks at home to guard against the spread of the coronavirus amid a shortage of surgical masks.

Thailand, which has reported a total of 70 cases, put surgical masks and sanitisers under its list of controlled goods last month, as the spread of Covid-19 led to shortages in stores.