Needless to say, face masks have now become both an essential part of our daily life as well as a fashion accessory, in the wake of coronavirus. However, some people still forget this indispensable item, and often land in trouble. In one such case, a woman in South Africa used her panties as a mask to avoid getting thrown out of a Pick n Pay supermarket. Yes, you read it right! The unnamed woman was caught on camera pulling off her black underwear to use as a makeshift mask after she was warned by supermarket staff she would not be served without a face covering.

The bizarre incident, caught on camera, shows a blonde woman talking to a security guard while waiting in the checkout queue with her shopping. The guard tells her to put on a face mask or leave the store. Suddenly, the woman then reaches under her dress and takes off her panty to use as an impromptu face mask instead, while other shoppers react with shock, Daily Mail reported.

Watch the video here:

Stunned at what just happened, other customers look on in disgust and one yells, “What’s going on?”while another applauds her on her “brilliant” ingenuity. Users online, who saw the video also were equally disgusted and slammed the woman for not following the face mask rules in the first place. Others were just plain amused at the whole affair.

One user wrote, ”I’m not amused. I really can’t stand disrespect to employees for things that are out of their control. It’s literally the law to wear a mask, I’m just wondering why this lady wasn’t arrested for 1. Not wearing a mask and 2. Public indecency. Ya’ll let’s pray for the masses.” Another commented: “This makes me sick. She is aware of the law worldwide. We have a serious virus and [she thinks] a G-string will save her.

Here are some other reactions:

In December 2020, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa stressed that not wearing a face mask in public is a criminal offence.

Announcing that it would be compulsory for every person to wear a mask in a public space, he said: “We now know that the simplest and most effective way to reduce transmission of the coronavirus is to wear a cloth mask that covers the nose and mouth whenever in public.