Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is making her own face covering ahead of them being made mandatory on some forms of public transport starting Monday.
In a Facebook post , Ms Ardern said she “caught up with Dave Letele of Buttabean Motivation to talk about Covid-19”.
“One of the things we talked about was face coverings, and how to make your own at home,” she said.
“I had a go at making one based on a video by Dr Michelle Dickinson.”
Every New Zealander aged 12 and above will be required to wear a face covering on Monday, or risk fines.
Health Minister Chris Hipkins said yesterday wearing a face covering on public transport was the "right thing to do" and would help keep New Zealanders safe from Covid-19.
However, he said authorities would take a light approach to enforcement to start out, "starting with engagement, encouragement and education".
“It will take time for people to adapt. Not everyone will have a face covering ready for the Monday morning commute but pretty quickly we will see face coverings become commonplace on public transport.”
Nanogirl Dr Dickinson, a nanotechnologist and science educator, told RNZ earlier this month face coverings were highly effective if worn properly.
With a face covering on, particles could only travel up to 6cm rather than 2.5m, she said.
In a video, she encouraged people to make face coverings out of a handkerchief by folding it over twice and using two elastics to loop over each ear.
Boxer and Buttabean Motivation founder Mr Letele had one of his students test positive for Covid-19 earlier this month.
The Ministry of Health praised Mr Letele’s handling of the case.
He told Radio Waatea : "Before even the Ministry of Health had contacted anyone we had already done the necessary groundwork, so everyone was in isolation, everyone had already gone and got tested.
“So, we were praised by the Ministry for the way we handled it and because of our profile it was good because it showed everyone else there's no need to be shamed or whakamā about it.
“It could happen to anyone, and this is how you handle it when it does.”
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