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Japanese government will send out two masks per household starting this week

Keep an eye on your letterbox for a special face mask delivery from Japan Post

Tabea Greuner
Written by
Tabea Greuner
Writer
Face mask
Photo: Mika Baumeister/UnsplashStock photo of face masks
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Due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe announced at the beginning of April that each household will receive two reusable face masks made from cloth, to help offset a serious shortage in disposable paper masks.

According to the NHK, if the government’s 100 million cloth masks are washed and reused about 20 times, the measure will reduce the consumption of 2 billion disposable face masks, which is equivalent to a usual demand of four to five months.

The washable cloth face masks – along with a manual on how to wash them properly – will be sent to around 50 million households via Japan Post. Distribution starts this week in prefectures with the highest number of coronavirus cases.

Japan Post will use its ‘Town Plus’ service, which is usually in charge of delivering ads to mailboxes of all registered addresses in a certain area. However, if you didn’t inform the post office of your address change the last time you moved, you might not be on the list to receive your masks. If you’re uncertain, now’s the time to contact your local post office.

If you don’t want to wait for your government-issued masks, need not worry – you can still go the DIY route and create your own face mask.

For the latest information on the coronavirus situation in Tokyo, click here.

Keep yourself busy while staying home

Watch one of Japan’s best kabuki plays for free on YouTube

Watch speed-corrected historical films of Tokyo over 100 years ago

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