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Chinese, Hong Kong Couples Celebrate Valentine's Day With Masks, Not Roses

Verna Yu

   HONG KONG - As millions of couples are stranded at home across China
   and Hong Kong this Valentine's Day to avoid infection of coronavirus,
   masks and alcoholic sanitizers have emerged as the most sought after
   gifts this year, overtaking the more romantic flowers and chocolates.

   A Chinese delivery company says its top sales on Valentine's Day this
   year are surgical masks, protective goggles and alcohol wipes. A
   Valentine poem circulated on Weibo, China's Twitter-like microblog,
   which says, "Stay at home with your family! Use video calls to pass on
   your words of love! Gifts should be practical and the most precious
   ones are masks! Masks and roses are sure to earn her love!"

   A video footage carried by Beijing Time, an online TV station, shows a
   mask-wearing young man waiting for his bus driver girlfriend with an
   elegantly wrapped, colorful bouquet of masks and roses.

   "The epidemic is quite bad, and she is in a high-risk profession. I
   think nothing is more sincere than masks right now," he said. After
   parking her bus and being presented with the bouquet, his girlfriend,
   also wearing a mask, was clearly delighted. "I am so touched!" she
   said, before the couple hugged.

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