TEHRAN – Some 300,000 protective face masks, produced by craftspeople of the southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province, have been distributed among local residents and foreign tourists.

As the country is battling coronavirus pandemic, some handicrafts workshops in the province have been repurposed to make protective face masks, deputy provincial tourism chief Mohammad-Behrouz Isazehi said on Saturday, CHTN reported. 

Most of the masks, which were produced in the cities of Zahedan, Zabol, Nimruz, Hirmand, and Chabahar following health protocols, have been distributed in deprived areas of the province, he added.

Last month, a handicraft workshop in northeastern Khorasan Razavi province, as well as five traditional costumes production workshops in western Kordestan province, were also readjusted to produce face masks. 

For mainstream Iranians, the name of Sistan-Baluchestan conjures up stories of drought, desiccated wetlands, and dust storms. On the international scale, foreigners may consider it a reminiscent of the big red blot on the Iran safety map.

The vast province was long shunned by potential foreign and domestic travelers though it is home to several distinctive archaeological sites and natural attractions, including two UNESCO World Heritage sites, namely Shahr-e-Soukhteh (Burnt City) and Lut desert, parts of latter is situated in Kerman province.

ABU/MG