AOMORI, Japan >> When lunchtime came at Uramachi Elementary School in Aomori prefecture, students took hold of their oval-shaped plastic masks and — voila! — the masks fell forward, uncovering their mouths and allowing them to eat while still wearing the protective gear.

An elastic band passing through the bottom of the mask attaches it to the wearer’s chin, and hooks over the ears. Without a band passing through the upper section of the mask, it can easily expose and then re-cover the nose and mouth easily with only one hand.

Teruo Narita, an 85-year-old inventor and Aomori City resident, came up with the mask to help protect children from the corona­virus.

Narita proposed the idea to the school, and 38 third graders tried out the mask for a week in December.

When Narita visited the school, he was impressed by how the students lowered the masks to place food in their mouths, then repositioned them, preventing the spread of droplets.

“The strings are adjustable, so it’s easy to use,” said one student. “I want other students in other grades to use it, too.”

“I just wanted to protect my grandchildren from the coronavirus, that’s all,” Narita said of his inspiration to create the mask.

He plans to get feedback from students and improve the mask, he added.