The coronavirus pandemic has changed life as we know it for the foreseeable future, and this means that we are having to get used to wearing facemasks. Unfortunately, however, these masks are preventing us from doing many of the activities that we love... like drinking cocktails. But cocktail drinking, at least, is no longer off the menu even during a global pandemic thanks to New Orleans-based designer <a href="https://ellenmacomber.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ellen Macomber</a>, who didn't want people in this famous party town to go without once lockdown restrictions are lifted. This woman cut a hole in her facemask so that it's easier to breathe:  [[jwplayerwidget||https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/3N9ivQtg-sKUnNGKf.mp4||3N9ivQtg]] "We're all in New Orleans, and here in New Orleans, we like to drink," Macomber said before revealing that a friend gave her the idea for the facemasks <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90502883/this-mask-has-a-hole-so-you-can-sip-your-cocktail-while-socializing-booze-not-included" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according to Fast Company</a>. Within a week, she had made 40 of the masks from cotton and other embellished fabrics to retail for $30 apiece. <img class="wp-image-12596435 size-full" src="https://img.vt.co/2020/05/a6ad5929-cocktail-mask-1.jpg" alt="The coronavirus cocktail mask." width="760" height="527" />[[imagecaption|| Credit: ellenmacomber.com]] Half an hour after the launch, all of the cocktails masks sold out. "We were thinking of doing a lip appliqué, where it would flap open and close, but you'd have to touch your face. I was like, 'Well that won't work because you have to touch your mask," Macomber told Fast Company. "That's when I was like, 'Dude, we just drill a little flap, an extra layer, and you angle the straw to get in. So the hole is never completely open.'" <img class="wp-image-12596440 size-full" src="https://img.vt.co/2020/05/023cdafb-cocktail-mask-2.jpg" alt="A woman in a facemask drinking a cocktail." width="600" height="782" />[[imagecaption|| Credit: ellenmacomber.com]] She believes that the masks will be particularly useful for people who are spending large amounts of time in public places. "Anything is better than nothing," she said. "If we're going to be handling different errands… this is just one option for one of the variety of errands you're needing to do." However, the designer did add that she is no expert on public health and that her masks shouldn't be regarded as the best preventative measure out there. "This is the biggest s**tshow I’ve ever encountered in my life," Macomber said. "So I'm just rolling with the punches, and trying to provide my clients with what they're asking for: a mask. This is my take on it."

These face masks come with a hole for sipping cocktails

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