Amazon came under fire after they posted a "hugely distasteful" coronavirus Halloween masks from its UK website. According to a police chief, trick-or-treating and bonfire night during Halloween will be cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic.
Coronavirus masks
The latex masks resemble an illustration of the COVID-19 virus, but with haunting eyes and a mouth of jagged teeth. The masks are being listed on Amazon by a number of sellers based in China and are said to be "suitable for adults and teenagers."
The masks are now branded as distasteful by a parenting group, while Amazon has vowed to remove the listings from its UK website.
One of the listings is from a Chinese seller in Guangdong, China. It is listed as being made of safe and non-toxic material with a "terrible corona design."
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The masks were criticized by Rachel Power, Chief Executive of the Patients Association. She told The Sun that the masks show a terrible lapse of judgement by the manufacturers and sellers and she hopes that they will be removed from sale fast.
A spokesperson for Amazon told MailOnline that all sellers must follow their selling guidelines and those who do not will be subjected to action, including potential removal of their account.
Cancellation of Halloween
The sale of masks online came after police urged Halloween trick-or-treaters to skip Halloween this year to avoid the spread of the virus. They also want Bonfire Night celebrations cancelled.
Martin Hewitt, the head of the National Police Chief's Council, said that there would be a lot of messaging going out in relation to Halloween. He said that forces are planning operations around normal Halloween weekends in any event because of all the things that are happening.
Police forces usually plan operations around Halloween when levels of crimes, such as anti-social behavior, burglaries and muggings, can rise.
However, this year, many areas will be in local lockdowns and forces will be seeking to prevent people from mixing with others and risk spreading the virus between households by going out trick-or-treating.
Aside from the masks, it was revealed that plague doctors costumes are selling out at fancy dress stores as they are tipped to be one of the most popular Halloween costumes this year due to the pandemic.
Medieval plague doctor outfits include long black robes, black top hats, gloves and the beak masks, which are already sold out on some online stores.
The outfit was worn by doctors treating patients during the bubonic plague that swept across western Europe. Plague doctors usually wore a head-to-toe leather or wax coat and a beak mask, which were stuffed with herbs, dried flowers or a vinegar sponge to ward off the disease.
The costumes were worn by doctors treating patients during the epidemics of bubonic plague that swept across western Europe.
Amazon is also selling the medieval plague doctor outfit, complete with mask, black top hat, black hooded cape, black gloves and a cane. There are also versions for children.
Many people have taken to Twitter to reveal that they will be wearing the plague doctor costumes for Halloween this year.
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