Phuket runs out of face masks amid new wave of Covid-19 infections

[webfact]

Phuket runs out of face masks amid new wave of Covid-19 infections

By THE NATION

 

 

Phuket has been hit by a shortage of face masks after one local was diagnosed with Covid-19 in this new wave of infections.

 

Several social media users have posted complaints about the shortage and the fact that the price of masks has suddenly shot up.

 

On Thursday, the owner of a pharmacy in Muang district said many customers had showed up to purchase masks but he had none in stock.

 

“Suppliers are refusing to take new orders, saying all their stock in hand has already been bought up. They say they will be ready for new orders in January,” he said.

 

The Phuket Tourist Association said it has visited some six pharmacies in the province and none had masks in stock.

 

On Wednesday, Phuket governor Narong Woonsiew said this shortage of medical masks was a problem that had to be solved immediately. He said his office has received complaints on this issue and he has ordered an investigation.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30400158

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-12-24

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[DavisH]

Has mask usage there become so low that there is little demand for masks, so suppliers and shops have not kept up their inventory?

[nausea]

Unbelievable. Face masks are two a penny where I live. I have a whole damn collection, I could start a face mask museum. Somebody is cornering the market. Like this was believable at the start of the crisis, but nowadays every man and his dog is manufacturing these things.

[NanLaew]

Sounds like someone in the Phuket face mask supply chain is being a dick. Goes with the territory.

[oompie69]

Cannot find any information about a new wave of infection in Phuket. Another sloppy headline? 

[billd766]

I wonder if this only affects the local population, and/or the medical services as well?

[digibum]

I’m in Rawai at the moment and just left 7-11 not 20 minutes ago and they had masks.  Plenty of masks.  
 

I was in Phuket Town and went to Central the other day and they were selling them in boxes of 25 and 50 and there was no mad dash buying (in fact, nobody was buying them when I was there).  
 

Ive been in three pharmacies in the last few days and they all had boxes of masks for sale.  
 

Last night my wife told me that on Thai social media they said all NYE events were cancelled on Phuket.  
 

So, I pulled up the actual news.  All GOVERNMENT countdown festivities are cancelled.  Bars and restaurants are free to do whatever they want as long as they follow guidelines.  
 

Not 10 minutes later, some old dudes walk in and I hear one of them say “I heard they’re shutting down the bridge into Phuket”’and another one responded, “Good, we gotta stop this outbreak before it gets going.”   
 

The bridge obviously wasn’t shut down that day or the next.  
 

The day before that, a waitress told us all the schools in Thailand had been closed.  Next morning, wow, there are tons of children in school uniforms going to school.  Only 14 schools were closed.  
 

Maybe there is a supply problem ordering more masks.  But as far as I can see, there’s no shortage in Phuket.  
 

I mean, yeah, with the current outbreak, the hardest hit areas are probably making emergency purchases which means everyone else needs to chill out. 

Phuket has 3 cases and is fairly isolated.  They’re probably just low priority.  

[Venom]

UCMTSU!