While wearing a mask in this new norm might pose just a slight inconvenience to most people, this practice has inadvertently created another hurdle for the hearing impaired like Cai Zhengjun.

"Shanghai is a fast-paced city and many locals speak so quickly that it's rather difficult to read their lips," he quips.

"The epidemic has made the situation even worse. Now, with people wearing masks, we can't even see their lips."

Cai lost his hearing when he was just 18 months old, the result of a high fever and an allergic reaction to the penicillin, which was prescribed to him. Having lived most of his life in near complete silence, the 35-year-old is well aware of the emotional baggage that comes with this condition.

He recalls having suffered from self-esteem issues when he was a child, and how attempting to communicate with others became a daunting affair.

Fortunately, his parents were determined to see their son equipped with the necessary life skills needed to lead a normal life. Cai, however, did not understand the support they provided.

"They kept insisting on oral training so that I could speak coherently, and I hated it. It was only after many years that I realized what they were trying to do-they just wanted to make sure that I could survive in this world when they depart from it," he says.

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