Surgical masks (stock)
Surgical masks (stock)iStock

Israeli restaurants will reopen next week and require about 5 feet between patrons, but what about people who aren’t ready to take off their masks when they eat in public?

Some Israeli inventors have created a face mask for the coronavirus age that will allow wearers to eat food without removing it.

The mask has a slot that opens with a hand remote lever to allow food to go through, Reuters first reported. Drippy dishes might not fare very well, the story said, but solid foods “can be gobbled up in a flash a la Pac-Man.”

The developer, Tel Aviv-area based Avtipus Patents and Inventions, told Reuters that it has already submitted a patent for the mask and plans to start manufacturing in the next few months.