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Coronavirus scare: City faces shortage of hand sanitisers and masks
Gurugram: Amid the coronavirus scare, the sale of hand sanitisers and face masks has gone up considerably in the city since Tuesday, triggering a shortage of the
Gurugram: Amid the coronavirus scare, the sale of hand sanitisers and face masks has gone up considerably in the city since Tuesday, triggering a shortage of the protective gear in many areas.
People in the national capital region, including Gurugram, are in a state of fear after a Delhi resident tested positive for Covid-19 infection that has killed over 3,000 people globally.
Residents said that masks and sanitisers have vanished from the medical stores at many places in Gurugram, and where the protective equipment is available they are being sold at high prices.
People claim that an N95 mask, which usually costs ₹150, is being sold for nothing less than ₹400-500. Anuradha Kashyap, resident of Sector 14, said, “An N95 mask was out of stock at a pharmacy in Civil Lines. Then I went to a medical shop in Sector 15, where it was being sold for ₹500.”
Some places in the city where hand sanitisers were available on Wednesday morning saw them being cleared in a span of just 15 minutes. At a pharmacy at Huda City Centre Metro station, customers queued up to buy hand sanitisers. Saurabh Diwedi, a resident of Saket in Delhi, said, “I am lucky that I have got o bottle of sanitiser as it is not even available in Delhi.” By 11am, all sanitisers had been sold off at the shop, a salesman in the shop said.
Sanitisers at a pharmacy run by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) at Civil Lines also went out of stock. The situation was the same at two chemist shops right next to the Civil Hospital. In Manesar, a pharmacist claimed that on Wednesday morning around 400 pieces of hand sanitisers were sold. “As I opened my shop, customers started pouring in only to buy hand sanitisers. Within two hours, my we ran out of stock. The supplier has told me that hand sanitisers are short in supply and it will take at least three days to come,” said Rajiv Kumar, owner of Shri Ram Medical Store, Manesar.
Another pharmacist in Pataudi said that sale of hand sanitisers has never been like this before. Vicky Chauhan, owner, Lakshya Medical Store, Pataudi road, Haileymandi, said, “All sanitisers in my store were sold off by Tuesday evening.”
Not just retail stores, there is a rush for masks and hand sanitisers online also. E-pharmacy stores said that they are contending with a sudden rush to buy masks and hand rubs. Meera Iyer, chief marketing officer, Medlife, said, “We have seen a steep increase in demand for masks. From an average of 1,000 odd a month, we suddenly have orders for six lakh masks. The masks are stocked out already with the vendors we source from.”
Health officials in the city said that the crisis of hand sanitisers will be resolved within a day or two. Amandeep Chauhan, drugs control officer, Gurugram, said, “We are trying our best, and in a day or two there will be no shortage of sanitisers. This is a regulated device under ‘Drugs and Cosmetics Act’. However, most of the manufacturers are producing it under ayush licence.”
On Wednesday, the drug office, Gurugram, had sent WhatsApp messages to all pharmacies in the city. “All purchases of hand rubs and masks should be on bill. No retailer should keep margin more than 15%, no wholesaler should keep margin more than 8% and sale cash memos are compulsory (sic),” read the message.
The district health department said that people should not panic and run after hand sanitisers as there are alternatives available. Dr JS Punia, chief medical officer (CMO), Gurugram, said, “People should wash their hands regularly. We are fully prepared to deal with coronavirus and our rapid response team is ready.”
On Tuesday, the State Drugs Controller Haryana had issued an advisory to all the health officers in the state. “There should be sufficient availability of basic drugs like paracetamol and others in the containment area. To ensure that there is no hoarding and no escalation of prices of drugs in the containment area in general in the district. To issue instructions to check the quality of food and drugs in the containment area (sic),” read the advisory.
