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Coronavirus: Pakistani family hands out masks in Hong Kong

Meet the Pakistani family in Hong Kong giving away thousands of face masks and sanitary products to those in need.

Each week, Lala al-Sheikh, originally from Pakistan, buys face masks and other supplies in bulk at different medical stores around Hong Kong to distribute to those in need.  

Originally from Pakistan, he established his family business in Hong Kong years ago selling ornaments from Nepal, Pakistan, India and China.

The demand for surgical face masks has skyrocketed over the past few months as people try to protect themselves and others from the spread of coronavirus. 

The mask-buying frenzy cleared the shelves of many pharmacies and e-commerce platforms such as Amazon.

“The only purpose of giving makes me happy,” al-Sheikh told Al Jazeera. “When a man dies, only his good deeds are left.” 

This story was filmed by Hong Kong-based photographer Miguel Candela and edited by Al Jazeera NewsFeed’s Katya Bohdan.