Price of N 95 mask shoots up ten fold
With surgical masks going out of stock in Mysuru, authorities are advising people to use scarves
Mysuru: The COVID-19 scare has not only increased the price of N 95 masks but also created a scarcity in Mysuru as well as neighbouring districts sharing a border with Kerala.
After some cases tested positive in Kerala, masks are going out of stock in the city, which is frequented by foreign tourists. Chemists are advising people to use scarves to cover their faces.
Pradeep, a chemist said, "Masks are not available even in the wholesale market."
Another chemist said companies are hiking the price of masks irrationally. "Earlier we used to get a face mask for Rs 2 wholesale and we used to sell it for Rs 5. But now the companies themselves have increased the cost to Rs 20-23. So we have stopped getting them," he said.
An official in the health department said they are in consultation with manufacturing companies who have capacity to supply within a short notice.
Additional chief secretary of the health department, Javed Akthar, said in a media statement that strict action will be taken if someone tries to create a shortage of face masks.