As Covid-19 infections begin to rise once again in Bangladesh, the prices of face masks have doubled in the wholesale market, driven by opportunistic traders looking to profit from the surge in demand.
A visit to several wholesale mask shops in Babubazar, Dhaka, revealed that the resurgence in coronavirus cases has significantly increased demand for masks, drawing crowds of retail traders eager to secure stock at reasonable prices.
However, instead of finding masks at affordable rates, they were met with a sharp increase in prices — each box of surgical masks is now being sold at nearly double the previous rate.
Mithu, who runs a mask business near Shahjahanpur railway station, said he had recently been purchasing boxes of surgical masks for Tk60–65. “Today, those same masks are being sold for Tk120 per box. The wholesalers are refusing to negotiate,” he said.
At Malibagh intersection, another mask trader, Shah Ali, voiced similar concerns. “Previously, the wholesale price for a thousand surgical masks was Tk900. Today, it has jumped to Tk1,600. Because of this increase, we’ve had to raise retail prices too."
"We used to sell five surgical masks for Tk10 — now we can only offer three for the same amount,” he explained.
The price hike is not limited to surgical masks. N95 masks, which were previously sold for Tk10 each, are now priced between Tk15 and Tk20 per piece.
This sudden surge in prices has alarmed consumers, many of whom fear a repeat of the severe price hikes witnessed during the early stages of the pandemic in 2020.
Mohtasim, a resident of Moghbazar, recalled: “Back in 2020, we had to pay Tk10–15 for a single surgical mask. The price of N95 masks, which used to be Tk10, shot up to Tk150. We must take immediate action to dismantle this emerging mask syndicate.”
Subah Hossain, who came to Motijheel to buy cloth masks, shared her anxiety. “Earlier, cloth masks were priced between Tk20 and Tk30. Now they’ve increased to Tk50–80. It’s frightening — I’m worried the situation might turn into another 2020.”
As infections continue to climb, health authorities have begun taking precautions. The Covid-specialized hospital in Mohakhali has already been prepared, with 13 patients currently admitted.
In addition, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has started distributing testing kits across various hospitals in the capital.
With both the infection rate and mask prices on the rise, there are growing calls for immediate regulatory intervention to protect public health and ensure affordability.
