A block-long line of people queuing to buy surgical face masks in a pharmacy along Osmeña Boulevard, a day after the Department of Health announced the first confirmed case of 2019-nCoV in the country. CDN Digital Photo | Morexette Marie B. Erram
CEBU CITY, Philippines—The Department of Trade and Industry in Central Visayas (DTI-7) has tapped the help of suppliers from Manila to augment and replenish the diminishing stocks of surgical masks in Cebu City.
DTI- 7 director, Asteria Caberte, said based on their monitoring, most of the pharmacies in the city have ran out of stocks of surgical masks.
Read: Amid face, surgical masks shortage reports, Cebuanos find other ways to protect selves from n-COV
“We have done our monitoring as early as Monday (January 27, 2020), and since then there’s only a few establishments who still have stocks (of surgical masks),” said Caberte in a phone interview with Cebu Daily News Digital.
Caberte also said they already asked three suppliers of surgical masks from Manila to bring in additional supply.
“These suppliers have committed to bring in the much needed supply,” she said.
Hoarding
The DTI-7 official also assured the public that they are constantly monitoring the supply and price of masks.
“We have also furnished our monitoring report to the Department of Health (DOH),” Caberte said.
She added that at this point, they have not received any information yet of pharmacies and establishments suspected of hoarding masks.
“It’s called hoarding when you have stocks but you refuse to sell,” said Caberte.
Pharmacies in several parts of Cebu City have reportedly ran out their supply of surgical masks, based on posts circulating on social media since DOH confirmed the first case of the 2019 novel coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, in the country.
People were also seen lining up in front of a pharmacy along Osmeña Boulevard on the noon of Friday, January 31, 2020.
Prencisita Estallo was among those who queued to buy a box containing 50 pieces of surgical masks for P190.
Estallo, 65, said it only took her a few minutes to wait and buy a box of surgical masks since the pharmacy staff has given priority to elderly ones like her, as well as people with disabilities and pregnant women.
She said she doesn’t want to risk going out of her house without any means of protection. She added that wearing masks is on top of her commitment to live a healthier lifestyle, and practicing personal hygiene such as frequent hand washing.
“It’s better to be always prepared,” she said in Cebuano. /bmjo
