BANGKOK (Reuters) – As Thai businesses modify their work practices after coming out of lockdown, a beauty clinic in Bangkok has devised a mini face mask for clients receiving up close and personal cosmetic treatments during the era of the coronavirus.

The idea of the mask, which uses a narrower protective strip to expose more of the face, is so that doctors can conduct procedures while limiting contact with the nose and mouth.”At first, I thought it was weird but it is actually really great because it’s specifically designed to keep us safe during facial treatments,” said Kannika Sae-Ngow, a customer at the Waleerat Clinic who was receiving a laser treatment on Tuesday.

The clinic does not currently sell the masks and say they have about 100 that can be disinfected and re-used.”We also plan to design other versions of these masks that can cover part of a nose so that doctors can treat the nose without having to take the masks off,” said Wisarut Krimthungthong, the clinic’s chief marketing officer.

The clinic is also taking other precautions including reducing the number of clients each day to 15 from more than 100 previously to allow for temperature screening and other health checks.

Staff are also using a plastic shield during treatments and some administrative operations have gone online.”It has reduced the amount of time customers have to spend here to roughly less than an hour,” said clinic founder Waleerat Thaweebanchongsin.Thailand is now in its third phrase of relaxing restrictions to curb the spread of the virus, which includes allowing beauty clinics to resume business.

The Southeast Asian country has seen just over 3,000 COVID-19 infections and 58 deaths, but has reported no local transmission in the past week.