COVID-19: Egyptian boy puts face mask on his donkey - picture goes viral

A picture of an Egyptian boy riding a donkey - with its mouth and nose covered with a mask - has gone viral on social media platforms, with many commenting it being a noble gesture for animal welfare.

The photo of Abdo Abdullah Mohammed Sadiq sitting on the family's donkey has captured the attention of thousands of social media users.

Abdo says he was concerned about the donkey’s health amid fears of the coronavirus which is why its nose and mouth had been covered with a face mask.

The picture was taken while the boy was riding the donkey in the streets of the city of Luxor, the capital of Luxor Governorate in Upper Egypt.

In an interview with Egyptian daily newspaper “Youm 7”, Abdo said: “The donkey is the only source of my family’s breadwinning. I should take care of the donkey, because if he gets infected with coronavirus and dies, I will die too.”

Abdo said he is happy about the overwhelming interaction after the photo was published and urged everyone in Egypt to wear a face mask when going out - and to show mercy towards animals.

His father said: “We face hard living conditions and this why we decided to use the mask for our donkey, which is the only source of earning food.”

Egyptian authorities made wearing masks mandatory in public places and public transport on May 31, the latest move by the authorities to slow the spread of the coronavirus as the daily reported cases are on the rise.

Those who fail to abide by the ruling face fine of 300 Egyptian pounds.

Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous country, has registered nearly 29,000 cases of the coronavirus and reported more than 1,000 deaths so far.