Hanoi police seal off pharmacy for hiking face mask prices amid coronavirus fear
Sunday, February 02, 2020, 15:01 GMT+7
Police in Hanoi have closed a pharmacy as well as dealing with several other medical stores and individuals for selling face masks at exorbitant prices amid rising concerns over the novel coronavirus.
The police unit in Kim Giang Ward, Thanh Xuan District confirmed on Saturday it had sealed off the Thien Tam pharmacy, located on Kim Giang Street, for hiking the prices of their face masks.
Officers are finalizing necessary procedures to impose a suitable penalty upon the owner of the store.
Thanh Xuan District police on the same day detected a similar violation at one of the stalls inside Hapulico Medicine Market, situated on Nguyen Huy Tuong Street.
The stall operated by the Son Bao Duong medical store was selling two boxes of face masks at VND270,000 (US$11.6) each.
Officers also found and confiscated 90 face masks of unclear origin.
Outside of the medicine market, two female hawkers, Nguyen Thi T. and Bui Thi L.A., who are both 34, were caught selling face masks at VND200,000 ($8.6) per box.
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| A hawker is booked for selling face masks at a high price in Hanoi in this photo supplied by police officers. |
According to an official of the police unit in Thanh Xuan, multiple other drug stores in the district have recently been found raising the prices of face masks and hand sanitizers.
A regular box of face masks has had its price increase from VND50,000 ($2) to around VND250,000 ($10.8), while the cost of a bottle of alcohol-based hand sanitizer rose from VND100,000 ($4.3) to VND300,000 ($12.9), he elaborated.
“We will continue inspecting local medical stores to ensure they do not overcharge customers for these types of products,” the police official added.
The novel corona virus, which first surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has caused over 300 deaths and infected nearly 15,000 people globally.
It has spread to 25 countries and territories, including Vietnam, where seven people have been infected.
News of the infected patients in Vietnam has fueled fears among the public while increasing local demand for face masks, one of the measures believed to reduce the risk of infection.
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