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No mask? A clean hanky is as handy

Jumping in on a ‘business opportunity’, chemists are pumping up rates even as hawkers are peddling strictly iffy ware.

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Masks, a symbol of protection against the dreaded virus, are on everyone’s shopping list. Jumping in on a ‘business opportunity’, chemists are pumping up rates even as hawkers are peddling strictly iffy ware. The message from health and civic officials: Be careful of what you buy and where you buy it from.

However, what’s even more important to know is that masks are not foolproof. Perhaps that’s why the BMC has advised people to use the handy handkerchief instead. “Masks are very inconvenient. There is also the problem of disposal, as people tend to just throw them by the roadside,” said city doctor Ajay Thakkar.

In fact, in Pune, the district guardian minister Ajit Pawar on Monday urged people to be aware of what they are using. “Everyone using one-time-use masks should dispose of them properly otherwise they are being re-sold to unsuspecting customers,” he said, adding that political parties, NGOs and other individuals distributing free masks should get the quality of masks approved by health department officials.

“Since re-using masks could pose serious health problems, people can also use clean handkerchiefs instead,” he also recommended.  

In the last few days, a number of hawkers have been seen selling masks at traffic signals. Doctors strictly have advised citizens against the use of these masks. It is advisable to buy the masks only from a good chemist shop.

But here’s where the price may pinch. Consider the case of police inspector Mrutyunjay Hiremat from Mumbai police’s Anti-Narcotics Cell, who went to a medical store in Thane on Monday morning to buy an N-95 mask. “The chemist said it was unavailable, but he could “arrange” for a mask for Rs350,” said Hiremat. He also enquired at a Worli medical store, which quoted a price of Rs450 to ‘arrange’ for the mask. The World Health Organisation (WHO)-recommended N-95 masks, which became a common sight after the SARS scare, promise 95% filtering efficiency and come in five different models. Earlier, they were available from Rs50 to Rs250.

Even the price of the cheap surgical masks has shot up to Rs25 from Rs5. But anxious Mumbaikars are willing to shell out even the inflated amounts quoted by chemists.

And where there is demand, the black market is bound to follow. “There is a huge danger of ragpickers and cleaners picking up used masks and reselling them,” said a BMC doctor, on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, sales of hand sanitisers too have shot up. “There are a number of hand sanitisers available, ranging from Rs30 to Rs200. They have been selling like hot cakes,” said a salesperson at Anjum chemists, in Fort.

Surgical mask: Rs10-25
Prevents viruses that are more than 4 microns in diameter, like the influenza virus which causes the common cold, from passing through.

Paper mask: Rs2-6
Will let anything with a diameter less than 5 microns to pass through.

N-95: Rs100-450
Highly effective. Particles above 0.3 micron cannot pass through. WHO-recommended.

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