Price gouging adding to panic amid Coronavirus scare in national capital?

vel Coronavirus or COVID-19 is leing to shorts of sanitisation items and recently exorbitant prices have been levied upon respective items. 

“t everyone can afford masks w, which has shot up to 500 rupees w. Even surgical masks that were available at mere 10 rupees are being w sold at 50 rupees. shopkeepers claim y will levy more prices if short of sanitisation items continue”, narrated Rajeev Gupta, who came to buy an N95 mask at Bengali Market, Delhi.

This price gouging will have a severe impact on fight against Coronavirus. shopkeepers in Connaught Place, Delhi are of view that situation is going out of hand. 

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“ demand for masks generally goes up during Diwali owing to Air pollution and when such outbreaks take place. We have limited availability of se throughout year except during Diwali. With sudden increase in demand for masks, sanitisers, wholesalers are taking vant of situation and it’s having a trickling down effect”, justified one of shopkeepers of a medical store in C.P, Delhi.

Ar shopkeeper ds, “ We generally sell 10-14 masks daily, w demand has gone up to an aver of 100 daily, retailers are going out of stock, even wholesalers are facing similar problems. demand for masks and panic among people due to vel coronavirus is more than what was witnessed during peak air pollution around Diwali.”

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Consumers react to rising prices

fast-spreing coronavirus has pushed up prices on hand sanitiser and surgical face masks by at least 50 per cent on Amazon. Consumers are paying price helplessly.

“At a time when re is a high risk of catching virus, we need measures to monitor market prices too, need to cap prices on online portals. While or countries are worst affected in comparison to India, we should be prepared for anything,” said ar customer who h come to purchase sanitisation items.

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While government visories recommend constant us of Masks and sanitisers at a high frequency, along with shorts and high prices charged at medical shops, people have been facing counterfeit mask problems too. Third-party sellers on reputed online portals are mischievous eugh to sell counterfeit masks at high prices, many people in urgency are booking masks on online portals and are getting duped with low-quality products.

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