Resurgence of COVID-19 Brings Masks and Delivery Food Back into Spotlight

Tmon's Mask Sales Increase More Than 4 Times Compared to Previous Week
Delivery Service 'Barogo' Sees 15.2% Increase in Delivery Orders Compared to Previous Week

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Cheol-hyun] As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) rapidly resurges, sales of related items such as masks and hand sanitizers are increasing. Due to concerns about COVID-19 infection and social distancing measures, the time spent at home has lengthened again, leading to a sharp rise in food delivery orders.

According to TMON on the 22nd, 350,000 masks were sold in the '10 Minute Attack' time store on the morning of the 18th alone. On the temporary holiday of the 17th, 246 new confirmed cases were reported, and 297 cases were confirmed on the same day, resulting in a continued rush to purchase masks in preparation for the COVID-19 resurgence.

On that day, TMON sold KF94 and KF80 certified masks at special prices through '10 Minute Attack.' Mask demand that had been waiting over the weekend surged, generating about 6,900 orders in 10 minutes, with KF94 masks selling out within one minute. The total sales volume of additional KF94 and KF80 masks during the 10 minutes was 350,000 masks. During the recent Gwangbokjeol holiday, TMON's mask sales increased by 364% compared to the previous week, and sales reached 190 million KRW per 10 minutes on the morning of the 18th. During the same period, hand sanitizer sales also rose by 96%.

The impact of the COVID-19 resurgence is also immediately reflected in food delivery. As confirmed COVID-19 cases increase, people are reluctant to go out or dine out, leading to a sharp rise in delivery orders. Barogo, a startup operating a last-mile logistics IT platform, reported that delivery orders increased by 15.2% during the same period this week (17th to 19th) compared to last week (10th to 12th).

From Monday to Wednesday this week, delivery orders totaled 1,214,000, an increase from 1,054,000 during the same period last week. In particular, on the temporary holiday of the 17th, delivery orders reached 445,000, a 24.6% increase compared to the previous week. A Barogo official stated, "This phenomenon is analyzed as a result of more consumers choosing to have meals delivered instead of dining at restaurants due to the COVID-19 resurgence."

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