Despite the Third Mask Measure, 'Shortage Phenomenon' Persists... "Sold Out as Soon as Pharmacies Open"

Went to Buy Masks at the Pharmacy... "200 Units Sold Out in 2 Hours"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee] #Kim (40, female), who runs a pharmacy in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, said, "Today, 200 public masks arrived, but they were all gone by the morning," adding, "In the afternoon, as more people gathered, work seemed to be paralyzed, so we posted a notice at the entrance saying 'Public masks sold out for today'."

Lee (50, male), who operates another nearby pharmacy, said, "Masks are provided at pharmacies, post offices, and Nonghyup banks, but people tend to think only of the system where they enter their resident registration number to buy masks at pharmacies, so pharmacies are relatively crowded," adding, "I think the government needs to secure additional public mask supplies."

Another pharmacist Kim (40, male) said, "Some tried to buy masks using family members' IDs, and one person even raised their voice, accusing the pharmacy of hiding masks," adding, "While I think we must do this with a sense of duty, I feel exhausted."

On the first day the government started selling two public masks per person, masks sold out quickly as soon as pharmacies opened. Some citizens were unfamiliar with the purchase method on the first day, leading to disputes and scuffles. Some pharmacists expressed frustration, saying that mask sales were interfering with their work.

On the 6th, the reporter visited five pharmacies in Seongdong-gu but could not find any place to buy masks. Pharmacies had about 200 to 250 masks per day depending on their size, but more than 100 people gathered as soon as they opened, and the masks sold out instantly.

As inquiries flooded in, pharmacies posted signs at their entrances such as 'Public masks sold out for today,' 'Masks out of stock today,' 'All today's stock sold out,' and 'Only small (infant) sizes available.'

Despite the government's successive measures, concerns remain that mask supply instability will continue.

The government announced on the 5th that starting from the 9th, a 5-day rotation system based on birth year will be implemented. Two consecutive years are assigned per day based on the last digit of the birth year. Those with last digits 1 or 6 can buy on Monday, 2 or 7 on Tuesday, 3 or 8 on Wednesday, 4 or 9 on Thursday, and 5 or 0 on Friday. If unable to purchase on the designated day, masks can be bought on weekends.

Regarding this, Professor Sung Tae-yoon of Yonsei University's Department of Economics pointed out, "Increasing distribution through public channels without increasing production volume is not very effective."

Professor Sung added, "Masks should be distributed through public channels only to elderly people who have difficulty moving, and private channels should be used for others."

He emphasized, "Right now, increasing production is most important, so it is urgent to boost production through emergency facilities."

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