Mexican wrestlers creating distinctive face masks for COVID-19 outbreak

Out of the wrestling ring and into the sewing room.

With sports on hold amid the coronavirus pandemic, Mexico’s colorfully decked-out lucha libre wrestlers known as Luchadores are channeling their talents into designing safety items for public use.

The grapplers are famous for their ornate costumes and masks worn during spirited competitions, and many create the stylish wear themselves.

Lucha libre is a unique form of professional wrestling in Mexico that dates back more than 100 years, with Luchadores wearing Spandex costumes and colorful masks.

Fighters assume larger-than-life personas but hide their identities behind masks, identified solely by their costumes.

In Puebla, retired wrestler Isaias Huerta was forced to close his costume workshop in late March after the Mexican government declared all nonessential businesses must be shuttered.

Initially, the athlete, better known as El Gato Gris, was creating the protective facial wear for family members. Now, he’s hawking them for about $2 a pop and is accepting commissions from lucha libre fans.

“I’ve always loved talking about wrestling, so much so that I started sewing costumes for my teammates,” explained Huerta to Spanish news agency EFE. “And now it led me to come up with the idea of wrestler masks.”

In numerous sections of Mexico, including the capital, the government is requiring all residents to wear masks outdoors, reported BBC News.

Rodolfo Huerta, aka El Santo, one of the greatest Mexican Luchadores to ever compete, was buried with his trademark silver mask on at his 1984 funeral.

As social-distancing measures have halted the sport, other wrestlers like El Hijo de Sobrerano are looking to keep themselves occupied.

“Last week, we had a very difficult time and my wife says to me, ‘Why don’t we make face masks?’” El Hijo told ESPN.

Mexico eclipsed the grim 1,000 COVID-19 fatality milestone on Thursday, totaling 1,069 total deaths amid more than 11,600 confirmed cases, according to health tracker Worldometer.

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