Thousands of children in Arunachal Pradesh will be sporting tri-colour face masks as they return to schools for the first time after the COVID- triggered lockdown on November 16, an official statement said on Tuesday.

The Arunachal Pradesh government has decided to repoen schools for classes 10 and 12 from November 16. The state government has procured 60,000 tri-colour cotton face masks for the school children from the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), it said. "The purchase order was issued on November 3, and in just six days, KVIC has supplied the requisite masks to the government considering the urgency involved.

To ensure timely delivery of masks, KVIC has dispatched the consignment by air," it said. The tri-colour face masks also aim at instilling a sense of nationalism among the students, the statement said.

"KVIC has specifically used double twisted khadi fabric for manufacturing of these masks as it helps retain 70 per cent of the moisture content inside while providing an easy passage for the air to pass through," the statement said. "These masks are, therefore, skin-friendly and suitable for long-duration use. Khadi cotton face masks are washable, reusable and biodegradable," it said.