A small number of Americans seem to be a little confused about the purpose of wearing face masks in public.
Most people these days are complying with orders to wear face coverings in public, but some are cutting holes in their masks to make it "easier to breathe."
A TikTok post from a stunned gas station clerk in Kentucky depicts a woman enter a convenience store wearing a face mask with a gaping hole exposing her mouth and nose.
The attendant cautiously asks the women where she got such a mask.
"Well since we have to wear them and it makes it hard to breathe, this makes it a lot easier to breathe," she replied.
The bewildering video received nearly 800,000 likes on the social media platform and over 8,700 comments by Monday morning.
Because the novel coronavirus that causes the respiratory disease COVID-19, is believed to spread primarily through the air, residents of many U.S. states have been advised to cover their mouth and nose when they are in retail stores or any public place where social distancing cannot be maintained.
Though not perfect when functioning properly, masks are touted as a means of reducing the likelihood of spreading the pandemic virus.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced that all shoppers in the state will be asked to wear masks in public starting May 11.
He noted in a statement to the Louisville Courier Journal that the practice will seem "strange" and "uncomfortable," he called it a "small sacrifice that we can make to make sure that we keep each other safe."
Photo: Getty Images