Government caps surgical mask prices to prevent speculation

Following a meeting with the Interministerial Commission on Medication Prices, which includes Illa's counterparts in treasury, industry, trade and tourism, economy and businesses, and representatives from regional governments, it was announced that a price cap would be placed on masks for sale to the general public and that this would be kept to under a euro.

Any higher, and protecting oneself and others against the SARS-CoV-2 virus could become a matter of who can afford to and who cannot, with an unfair divide placing those on the lowest income at greater risk than those who are earning a living wage.

“The aim [of a price cap] is so that there's no abuse,” says Illa, referring to how, at the beginning of the lockdown, with masks extremely difficult to get hold of, unscrupulous traders who had been bulk-buying them were selling even disposable paper ones at inflated prices.

Non-disposable masks were typically selling online for at least €40 and, at times, even as high as €1,000, as greedy dealers attempted to cash in on the public's desire to keep themselves safe.

Illa said the 96-cent maximum price 'may be revised' according to 'how the market evolves', given that said market is, at present, 'in a convulsive situation' – if supply increases dramatically and keeps pace with demand, it is likely the top price could be set even lower.

The government is set to regulate prices for 'hygiene masks', too – the type worn by, for example, children who have a cold when there is a new baby or an elderly person in the house, but which do not provide the same protection as a surgical mask.

At present, it is recommended that surgical masks, unless they become widely available, be left for health workers, care staff, police, and anyone who lives with someone who is infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

'Hygiene masks' provide basic protection for the general public.

Surgical masks are of a protection factor of at least FFP2 – but DIY masks, the type bought for using electrical tools that create large amounts of dust and which are typically used on building sites as well as for home repairs, are FFP1, which is currently thought to be suitable for anyone out in public and not on the front line of the health service.

Costs of 'hygiene masks' will be worked out after Illa has spoken to representatives from the manufacturing and textile industries to figure out what the minimum would need to be to prevent their running at a loss.

Illa says that at the moment, other recommended products – such as surgical gloves and hand sanitisers – will not have their prices capped, but that his team 'has the necessary instruments there' to do so if they notice that these are being bulk-bought for resale or that their prices are generally becoming inflated.

Currently, hand sanitiser – which is typically at least 60-70% alcohol, sometimes more – is not easy to find on supermarket shelves or in pharmacies, but where it is available, costs around €1.90 for a 100ml bottle or €8 to €9 for a 500ml bottle.

Pharmacies had been clamouring for the government to fix prices on masks, in light of how the market was being abused, saying disposable surgical masks only tended to cost around 50 cents before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Single-use masks have been retailing at a minimum of around €6, which was becoming unsustainable as they need to be replaced at least daily, if not several times a day.

Photograph: Amazon