Japanese drugstores are struggling to meet the growing demand for face masks as the fear of the Chinese corona virus grows.
Face masks are often the first choice for people in Japan if they want to protect themselves from infectious diseases. As reports of the corona virus increase, more and more people in Japan are accessing these masks.
Replenishment problems with face masks
However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to buy them because the shelves in the drugstores are increasingly empty and the producers have problems with replenishment. “Every day within a few hours of the opening, we no longer have masks,” said an employee in a drug store in the Shinjuku district. “It’s been like this since the corona virus broke out.”
Other shops in the area have similar problems. Most of them said that face masks are usually sold out by 10 a.m. and daily deliveries don’t arrive on time. Others had to limit the number of masks that each customer can buy to prevent a customer from emptying the entire inventory.
Clever, a manufacturer in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, announced that it has received almost 20 times the number of orders for high quality face masks from domestic and foreign customers. The company, which typically receives 10 orders per day during this time of year, instructed all employees involved in the manufacture of other products to concentrate on the manufacture of the masks.
It is still unclear whether the masks will help to fight coronavirus infection
“I’m sorry, but we cannot keep up with demand,” said company president Eri Ishibashi. “The particle size of the new corona virus is not yet known, so we cannot even say with certainty that these masks will be effective.”
Surgical masks that are sold in drug stores are mostly designed to keep bacteria out. On the other hand, N95 surgical masks are used to prevent virus inhalation and the spread of infectious diseases.
In any case, doctors recommend wearing face masks so that they completely cover the nose and mouth and there is no distance between the mask and skin so that no virus is inhaled. However, the most important thing is to wash your hands thoroughly and frequently.
TJT
–
