The picture of a baby in an Air New Zealand flight has gone viral on the internet and stirred a controversy. The baby was seen wearing an adult-sized face mask with two holes cut out for the baby to see.
The picture was taken by another passenger, Jandre Opperman, on the same flight. He posted it on his social media account, but he never thought that this harmless picture would divide the internet so much, with some people calling it child abuse, while others finding it cute.
As some outraged netizens blamed the mother, Jandre Opperman, in his interaction with the New Zealand Herald, clarified that it was a "super-sweet interaction" and the baby was not uncomfortable as the mother was tending to the child's needs. He added, "I think it was a mix of having a laugh, and trying her best to protect her child with the equipment available to her,".
Since the Instagram post by Jandre went viral, he made his profile private. Here are some reactions from netizens:
In accordance with COVID-19 guidelines, the New Zealand government has made it mandatory for all the passengers over 12 years to wear masks, and as for the passengers younger than 12, government has advised parents to choose appropriate face masks for their children to cover their mouth, nose and chin without any gaps. However, there's still some debate around the practicality of masks for children under the age of two.
(With inputs from New Zealand Herald)
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