Over 10,000 Hong Kong Citizens Camp Overnight for 30 Hours to Buy Masks

Lines to Buy Masks Stretch Up to 4km

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] As the demand for masks rises due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia), a remarkable scene unfolded in Hong Kong where about 10,000 citizens lined up overnight to buy masks.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 5th, this occurred after Hong Kong company Luckwell International announced that it would sell 550,000 masks in boxes over two days starting that day in the Kowloon Bay area. Each box contains 50 masks, and a total of about 11,000 boxes were prepared for sale. The company limited purchases to 2 boxes per person.

Hong Kong citizens began lining up from 3 p.m. the previous day to buy masks, spending 20 to 30 hours outside overnight. The line to buy masks stretched an astonishing 4 km. Around midnight, when the number of people in line reached about 3,000, the company issued an urgent notice appealing, "For your health, please do not line up in the cold weather."

Nevertheless, the number of people lining up continued to increase, reaching nearly 10,000 by around 9:30 a.m. that day.

The demand for masks surged after a 39-year-old man who was confirmed to have the novel coronavirus the previous day died, marking the first death from the novel coronavirus in Hong Kong, and three additional confirmed cases were reported within a day.

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong government decided to close all checkpoints connecting to mainland China except for two locations: the Shenzhen Bay checkpoint and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific also reduced its mainland China routes by 90%, cutting overall flight routes by 30%. Consequently, the number of passengers dropped by 50%.

The Hong Kong government also ordered about 176,000 civil servants to work from home until February 16.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.