The coronavirus outbreak has led to a massive shortage of face masks. From scientists in Prague to fashion designers in Venezuela, these photos show an underground economy of people making their own masks.

Face masks are used to protect people from the novel coronavirus . N95 respirators are face masks that block physical particles that spread COVID-19, like saliva and mucus, as well as 95% of airborne particles that spread the illness. Surgical masks, the other common type, can block physical particles, but not necessarily airborne ones.
Both types are hard to find amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
Face masks are only meant to be worn by sick people and healthcare professionals, according to the World Health Organization . But as the virus continues to spread, some countries, like Venezuela and parts of China , are ordering citizens to wear facemasks in public.
As global demand increases, companies are simply running out of face masks. People are making face masks out of everything from old t-shirts to 3D printing technology.
Some people are selling masks, like a seamstress in Mexico and a fashion designer duo in Venezuela. Others are giving them away for free, like several communities in Thailand and the Czech Republic.
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In Thailand, public health officials are encouraging citizens to make their own cloth face masks because of a nationwide shortage due to the spread of the novel coronavirus.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Chalinee Thirasupa/Reuters

Source: Reuters

Panpimon Wipulakorn, Director-General for the Department of Health, told Reuters that cloth masks can prevent people from catching the virus from nearby coughs or sneezes, like a surgical mask.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Chalinee Thirasupa/Reuters

Source: Reuters

The novel coronavirus spreads primarily through mucus and saliva, so cloth face masks can be effective.

BusinessInsider USA Images

David W Cerny/Reuters

Source: Business Insider

Some people in Thailand are making cloth face masks and distributing them for free.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Chalinee Thirasupa/Reuters

Source: Reuters

To be effective, cloth masks need to be washed daily.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Chalinee Thirasupa/Reuters

Source: Reuters

Thailand set up workshops across the country to teach people how to make masks, and Wipulakorn made a video lesson so people can watch and learn from home.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Chalinee Thirasupa/Reuters

Source: Reuters

Thailand has more than 720 confirmed cases on coronavirus as of March 23.

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Chalinee Thirasupa/Reuters

Source: US News and World Report

Over in the Czech Republic, people are making masks in many different ways. The government ordered fabric stores to stay open through the pandemic.

BusinessInsider USA Images

David W Cerny/Reuters

Source: Reuters

So people have been purchasing fabric to sew their own masks.

BusinessInsider USA Images

David W Cerny/Reuters

Source: Reuters

Many people are using fabrics from old t-shirts, and boy scouts are using donated cloth materials.

BusinessInsider USA Images

David W Cerny/Reuters

Source: Reuters

The Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics, and Cybernetics at the Czech Technical University in Prague developed 3D printing technology to make masks amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

BusinessInsider USA Images

David W Cerny/Reuters

Source: Reuters

According to the university's website, their face mask prototype, which is called CIIRC RP95, has been certified as a safety mask.

BusinessInsider USA Images

David W Cerny/Reuters

Source: Reuters , CTU

The university is working on making certified filters to complete the product.

BusinessInsider USA Images

David W Cerny/Reuters

Source: Reuters

In Mexico, Erendira Guerrero, a seamstress, is selling masks to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters

Source: Yahoo Finance

Guerrero said she sews profanity onto the masks because she thinks it makes them unique and will help them sell better.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters

Source: Yahoo Finance

"Us Mexicans somehow always have that little flavor, that joke in the face of adversities," Guerrero said.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters

Source: Yahoo Finance

Over in Venezuela, Nelson Jimenez and Stalina Svieykowsk are clothing designers. While they normally make jackets and school uniforms, they're making face masks during the pandemic.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Carolina Cabral/Reuters

Source: Reuters

The duo makes about 150 masks per day, and they model them on their own faces.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Carolina Cabral/Reuters

Source: Reuters

They're selling the masks for less than a US dollar.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Carolina Cabral/Reuters

Source: Reuters

In Venezuela, citizens have been ordered to wear face masks in public.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Carolina Cabral/Reuters

Source: Reuters

They're hard to find in stores because of the shortage, where they sell for up to $5.60 each.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Carolina Cabral/Reuters

Source: Reuters

The coronavirus outbreak has led to a massive shortage of face masks. From scientists in Prague to fashion designers in Venezuela, these photos show an underground economy of people making their own masks.

In Thailand, public health officials are encouraging citizens to make their own cloth face masks because of a nationwide shortage due to the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Panpimon Wipulakorn, Director-General for the Department of Health, told Reuters that cloth masks can prevent people from catching the virus from nearby coughs or sneezes, like a surgical mask.

The novel coronavirus spreads primarily through mucus and saliva, so cloth face masks can be effective.

Some people in Thailand are making cloth face masks and distributing them for free.

To be effective, cloth masks need to be washed daily.

Thailand set up workshops across the country to teach people how to make masks, and Wipulakorn made a video lesson so people can watch and learn from home.

Thailand has more than 720 confirmed cases on coronavirus as of March 23.

Over in the Czech Republic, people are making masks in many different ways. The government ordered fabric stores to stay open through the pandemic.

So people have been purchasing fabric to sew their own masks.

Many people are using fabrics from old t-shirts, and boy scouts are using donated cloth materials.

The Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics, and Cybernetics at the Czech Technical University in Prague developed 3D printing technology to make masks amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the university's website, their face mask prototype, which is called CIIRC RP95, has been certified as a safety mask.

The university is working on making certified filters to complete the product.

In Mexico, Erendira Guerrero, a seamstress, is selling masks to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Guerrero said she sews profanity onto the masks because she thinks it makes them unique and will help them sell better.

"Us Mexicans somehow always have that little flavor, that joke in the face of adversities," Guerrero said.

Over in Venezuela, Nelson Jimenez and Stalina Svieykowsk are clothing designers. While they normally make jackets and school uniforms, they're making face masks during the pandemic.

The duo makes about 150 masks per day, and they model them on their own faces.

They're selling the masks for less than a US dollar.

In Venezuela, citizens have been ordered to wear face masks in public.

They're hard to find in stores because of the shortage, where they sell for up to $5.60 each.

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