A famous figure in Encinitas turned heads over the weekend when it was spotted sporting a mask for all to see amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
A prankster placed a medical mask on the Magic Carpet Ride statue, which is better known as the Cardiff Kook.
Bystanders could be seen on Sunday surrounding the Cardiff-based statue in amusement, confusion and even wonder. It only took one person to look up and point their cameras at the Kook for others to notice his new accessory.
Concerned Americans have been buying similar masks from stores as an effort to protect themselves from COVID-19 and since the Kook is often dressed up in reflection of current events, it wasn’t completely surprising the statue donned it, too.
Don’t be like the statue, though. Medical professionals stress that your average surgery mask cannot combat the novel coronavirus. Because the illness is a respiratory virus, the mask can’t protect from an individual breathing in germs. Plus, healthcare providers are unable to give the masks to sick patients if consumers keep buying them.
