The 'Kosk' mask from South Korea raises eyebrows on internet

Key Takeaways:

• As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, a South Korean company has developed a new mask design that, according to the company, will protect people from the virus.
• The two-piece PPE is designed to fold up the bottom half of the mask when eating or drinking, leaving only the nose exposed.
• COVID-19 enters the body easily through the nose, according to some studies, so wearing a nose mask may be a good idea.

As the COVID-19 pandemic persists, a South Korean company has developed a new mask design that, according to the company, allows users to eat comfortably while wearing it — but it's raising a few eyebrows.

The "Kosk" — a combination of "ko," the Korean word for "nose," and the word "mask" — has gotten a lot of buzz on the internet for its... um.... unique design.

When eating or drinking, the two-piece PPE is designed to fold up the bottom half of the mask, leaving only the nose exposed.

Since its release, social media users have mocked the odd-looking mask, both for how it appears when worn and for its ability to protect against the airborne coronavirus.

According to some studies, COVID-19 enters the body easily through the nose, so wearing a nose mask might be a good idea.

Professor Catherine Bennett of Deakin University's Institute for Health Transformation in Australia told Nine News that the Kosks is a "weird idea" but that they are "better than nothing."

"It's probably only a smidgeon of a difference," she explained.

The Kosk, as one Twitter user put it, is essentially the same as people who don't wear their face masks placed above a white nose. "Chin diapers" are used to describe these types of masks.

Atman, a South Korean mask manufacturer, created the design and sold the masks online for about $1 each.

It's not the 1st time a nose mask has been sold during a pandemic, believe it or not.

Mexican researchers created a mask that only covers the nose last year.

According to Reuters, the mask was designed to be worn under a regular mask to provide extra protection whenever the top mask is eliminated to eat or drink.

Throughout the pandemic, epidemiology experts worldwide have reminded citizens that wearing multiple layers of mask protection is best and that masks covering the entire nose, mouth, and chin area should always be worn.