"Mask Shortage Again?" Growing Anxiety Ahead of the End of Public Mask Sales

Concerns Over Price Increases Ahead of 'Public Mask Sales Suspension' on the 11th
Some Consumers Say "COVID-19 Is Still Ongoing... We Have No Choice but to Stock Up"
Experts Urge "Thorough Preparations for COVID-19 Resurgence"

Public mask sales notice posted at a pharmacy in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 1st. Photo by Yeonju Kim, intern reporter yeonju1853@asiae.co.kr

[Asia Economy reporters Seunggon Han and intern Yeonju Kim] "I'm worried mask prices will go up, so I tend to buy them in advance," "I heard that the public mask program is ending, so I'm stocking up by buying 10 masks per person according to the number of family members."

As the sale of public masks is set to end on the 11th, voices expressing concern about a 'second mask crisis' are emerging.

The public mask system was introduced by the government as part of the 'mask supply stabilization measures' in late February, early in the COVID-19 outbreak, when a mask shortage caused a crisis.

The system stabilized supply and demand by allowing mask purchases on designated days based on the last digit of the birth year, and the maximum validity period of the emergency supply adjustment measure, which is the legal basis, will expire on the 11th.

According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on the 1st, the government is deliberating whether to continue operating the public mask system by reviewing related laws or to leave mask supply to market functions.

The purchase volume of public masks (health and surgical masks) averaged 30 to 40 million per week but dropped to around 20 million as of the second week of last month. The number of buyers also decreased from 18.47 million in the second week of April to 4.4 million in the fourth week of last month.

The mask industry expects that since COVID-19 infections continue, the government will likely adjust the proportion of public supply by mask type rather than completely abolishing the public mask system.

A pharmacy selling public masks. Photo by Yonhap News

However, despite these expectations, some consumers express concerns that if mask supply is left to mask companies again, price increases and hoarding behaviors seen during the mask crisis could recur.

Housewife Park (58) said, "After hearing that public mask sales are ending, I am buying 10 masks per week according to the number of family members," adding, "We don't know how things will go until COVID-19 calms down."

Park expressed concern, saying, "Some expect prices to go down further, but if the government stops regulating, prices might rise like before when masks were unavailable."

Office worker Lee (27) said, "It seems premature to end public mask sales while COVID-19 cases continue," and predicted, "There will definitely be people who produce masks, stockpile them, and sell them at a premium."

Previously, health authorities announced a policy to freely entrust mask sales to mask vendors only for 'droplet-blocking masks,' unlike existing public masks. However, some mask vendor websites have experienced server crashes due to high demand, making purchases difficult.

Some e-commerce platforms and large supermarkets have secured millions of summer-use droplet-blocking masks for sale, but supply shortages remain an issue.

Office worker Park (31) said, "As the weather gets hotter, I tried to buy droplet-blocking masks, but even those are hard to purchase," adding, "In this situation, people are willing to buy public masks despite the heat, which is worrying."

She continued, "There are ongoing cases where masks not managed by the government are hard to buy. What if they stop managing them? Even if COVID-19 calms down, we can't let our guard down, so I think management is necessary."

Masks displayed on the shelves of a large supermarket. Photo by Yonhap News

Experts predict that mask supply and demand will be smooth at this point but recommend thorough preparations considering the possibility of COVID-19 resurgence.

Professor Kim Taegi of Dankook University's Department of Economics said, "Unlike during the mask crisis, mask production overseas is now proceeding smoothly," adding, "I expect that supply and demand for masks will be properly met even if left to the market."

However, he emphasized, "Since COVID-19 is not over yet and could recur, it is important to monitor mask supply trends," and suggested, "We must closely watch and strongly respond to abnormal transactions such as hoarding."

Amid concerns about mask shortages and crises ahead of the end of public mask sales, the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MOEF) announced on the 30th of last month that it will extend the 'Notice on Prohibition of Hoarding of Health Masks and Hand Sanitizers,' which was set to expire, until September 30.

Accordingly, producers and sellers who hoard health masks and hand sanitizers will face up to two years imprisonment or fines up to 50 million won until the end of September.

The MOEF explained, "Since the implementation of the public mask system, mask production has greatly increased and prices have stabilized, improving supply conditions. However, considering the ongoing COVID-19 situation and the possibility of anti-market behaviors such as hoarding, the notice's application period has been extended."

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