Police in the English village of Hellesdon, in Norfolk, are looking for a man who has been “terrifying” local kids by walking around in a 17th Century plague mask and doctor’s outfit to offer him some “words of advice” on how to behave during the current global health crisis. So far, however, they’ve been unable to identify him.
- People have had mixed responses to the man with the plague mask. While some people find the man, who’s been seen walking around Hellesdon in a hat, black cloak, hat, and pointed mask to be somewhat amusing, others including local children have been scared by the sight. You have to admit, it is pretty freaky.
- This was the way plague doctors dressed during the Black Death. The mask with its characteristic pointed beak was thought to prevent doctors from becoming infected with the illness with varying levels of success. How the person wearing it got a hold of such an outfit and why they’re insisting on wearing it, however, is a whole other issue.
- Apparently the man has been on the loose for the past two weeks. According to BBC News, a local village social media page said that the man had been walking around in his plague mask for about two weeks while he takes his daily walk. So far, no one has been able to talk to him or ask him to stop. Danny Buck, a historian at the University of East Anglia, thinks the stunt is pretty ingenious, however, remarking, “It’s quite a smart-looking costume and it’s important people realize that in the 17th Century plague doctors were the brave ones who went out to see people with the disease.”
- Police have admitted that the man isn’t actually doing anything illegal. Sure, it might seem in poor taste (or just a little strange) to walk around dressed like a plague doctor. Still, Norfolk Police said that while it had received reports of “an individual who was seen walking around the Hellesdon area wearing a plague outfit,” there was no offense committed. That being said, they were “keen to trace the individual in order to provide words of advice about the implications of his actions on the local community.”
