A photograph of a baby on a plane wearing an adult surgical face mask with holes cut for eyes has gone viral and sparked outrage and ridicule. MailOnline has more.
The picture has since gone viral and while many are praising the mum for trying to protect her pink-clad baby from Covid, others claimed it was ‘child abuse’.
But the photographer who captured the image on an Air New Zealand flight from Auckland to Wellington on July 1st, said it was a “super-sweet interaction” and nothing sinister.
“The baby was full of joy, jumping around and giggling away. It made the wait to get off the plane a bit more entertaining,” he said.
Some online commenters however were outraged by the image, with one saying: “If I saw this on a flight I’d remove the mask from her myself.”
Others said the photo was “so incredibly sad” and claimed it was “dangerous to cover their breathing holes like this”.
Mr Opperman, who has since turned his Instagram account private, defended the mother, saying the mask wasn’t tight around the baby’s face.
“I think it was a mix of having a laugh, and trying her best to protect her child with the equipment available to her,” he told the New Zealand Herald.
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