Italy Imposes Mask Price Ceiling... Capped at 700 Won Per Unit

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] Italy, where the cumulative number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) has reached over 197,000 and the death toll has reached over 26,000, has decided to introduce a price ceiling system to prevent a surge in mask prices.

According to local media on the 27th (local time), Domenico Arcuri, chairman of the COVID-19 emergency task force under the Italian government, signed an administrative order the day before to implement the mask price ceiling system.

According to the administrative order, the price of masks sold at pharmacies and other places will be limited to 50 euro cents (about 700 won) per mask.

The mask price ceiling system will be implemented starting from the 4th of next month, in line with the gradual easing of lockdown measures, such as the normal operation of many companies and factories.

In Italy, since the end of February when COVID-19 rapidly spread, the demand for masks suddenly increased significantly, causing a shortage. In some areas, mask prices soared to over 30 euros (about 40,000 won) per mask.

Although the mask supply system has somewhat stabilized through support from China and emergency production within Italy, and prices have dropped considerably, masks are still reportedly being sold at prices higher than before COVID-19.

As of the 26th, Italy's cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases stands at 197,675, ranking third after the United States and Spain. The death toll is 26,644, ranking second after the United States.

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