A nationwide shortage of face masks amid the growing COVID-19 outbreak has sparked a rise in the number of people who make homemade masks using cloth as a substitution for medical gauze as protection against the novel coronavirus.

In the Sorachi District of Hokkaido, demand for gauze cloth has been growing at craft shops, with some businesses giving a tutorial on handmade masks or selling do-it-yourself face mask kits.

In Bibai, DIY mask kits are being offered as gifts in the furusato nōzei hometown tax program.