Purchase of Self-Test Kits Limited to '5 per Time' for 3 Weeks Starting from the 13th

Measures from the 13th to the 5th of next month
Online sales prohibited
Purchase limit of 5 items per person per visit at pharmacies and convenience stores

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] From the 13th, the online sale of self-test kits will be banned for three weeks, and the quantity available for purchase at pharmacies and convenience stores will be limited to 5 units per transaction.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 12th that it will implement these distribution improvement measures to stabilize the market supply of COVID-19 self-test kits. The application period is from the 13th of this month to the 5th of next month.

Online sales of self-test kits will be prohibited as scheduled starting on the 13th. However, stock inventory can be sold online until the 16th, after which sales will be limited to offline channels only.

The points of sale will be simplified to pharmacies and convenience stores (CU, GS25). Since some convenience stores are expected to require about a week to prepare for sales, self-test kits will be primarily supplied through pharmacies at first. The quantity supplied by the 12th amounts to 8.14 million units. Previously, over 40% of private supply was distributed online, but issues such as long delivery times reducing purchase accessibility and higher prices compared to offline sales were pointed out, leading to this improvement measure.

The production method of self-test kits will also change to increase domestic supply. Manufacturers of self-test kits are required to produce only large-volume packaging products with 20 or more units. This is to shorten manufacturing time and improve logistics efficiency through large-volume packaging production. However, considering manufacturers' production circumstances such as packaging changes, this measure will be deferred until the 16th.

At pharmacies and convenience stores, self-test kits supplied in large-volume packaging may be sold individually. The purchase quantity per person per transaction is limited to 5 units. However, purchasing multiple times at different pharmacies is not restricted. The government explained that the current situation is not an absolute shortage like the mask shortage but rather a need to stabilize the distribution of self-test kits.

Domestic self-test kit manufacturers must obtain prior approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for future export quantities. This is to focus on meeting domestic demand. However, quantities contracted before the 13th may be exported without prior approval.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety stated, "We will actively strive to stabilize the supply and distribution market of self-test kits to ensure that the public experiences no inconvenience in using or purchasing the kits."

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