Kiosk at airport to sell flu masks

CHENNAI: A kiosk selling flu masks will start functioning at the Chennai airport from Thursday. Airport sources said that in view of the A(H1N1) flu threat, the Civil Aviation Ministry had decided to permit setting up of the kiosk. It would come up near the entrance of the international departure terminal. The work has been given to a Chennai-based company. R. Sudhir Reddy, vice-president of Leela Holdings, the company involved in manufacturing washable and re-usable masks, said that the masks were made of special filtration fabric and had a special anti-microbial coating to kill bacteria, virus and fungi upon contact. Selling the mask to outbound passengers would preclude them from contracting the flu abroad and prevent them from carrying it back to the country. These masks could be washed up to 50 times.  They would be priced at Rs.125 each. The company planned to set up similar kiosks in other international airports, Mr. Reddy said.