The government of India on Friday declared faces masks and hand sanitizers to be essential commodities till the end of June in its efforts to battle the spread of coronavirus and to contain the hoarding or overpricing of these items, said news agency PTI.
The government had earlier warned traders against hoarding and overpricing of these items that have been widely recommended among the preventive measures to keep the deadly infection at bay.
Government includes certain product among the essential commodities from time to time to regulate its production, supply and distribution in order to ensure its availability at fair prices.
The items listed under the Essential Commodities Act include drugs, fertilisers, pulses and edible oils along with petroleum and petroleum products. The government can include and take off items on the list as per the requirement.
High demand for masks and sanitisers had led to highlighting of cases when they were found to be either unavailable or were being sold for a premium. Online retail giant Amazon said it was trying to curb overpricing of masks that were available in a range of Rs 200 to Rs 600 on its platform as indicated by a quick search.
WHO has advised people on the use of masks and listed circumstances favourable to its use. It says a healthy person need not wear a mask unless taking care of a person with suspected Covid-19 infection.
It advises wearing a mask if one is coughing or sneezing and adds that they are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
Delhi health minister Satyendra Jain was reported by IANS to have suggested washing of hands with soap as a more effective precautionary measure compared to using masks.
Jain described masks and hand sanitisers as “unnecessary” for the common people.
“The masks are only required by physicians and the medical staff,” he was quoted as saying by IANS.
He added that people suffering from cold, cough, fever etc. could use masks.
He said if people washed their hands with soap before touching their eyes, nose and mouth then it was 100% possible to prevent the coronavirus spread.
“Hand sanitiser is necessary for the doctors and the staff involved in medicine as doctors cannot go to wash hands after every patient’s examination. So, they use hand sanitiser,” Jain was quoted as saying by the agency.
Kerala government on Friday decided to use the tailoring units in prisons of the state to deal with the shortage of masks.
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