Salespersons at drug stores and super-shops had a hectic day yesterday, tackling huge rush of customers seeking to buy face masks, hand sanitizers and disinfectants after the first cases of coronavirus infection in the country were reported on the day.
After the news broke on television in the afternoon, panicked people rushed to drug stores and super-shops to avail the hand sanitizers and masks as protective measures against the deadly virus, which has taken its toll across the world.
Abid Hasan, pharmacist-in-charge of Lazz Pharma at the Kalabagan branch, said people started pouring into their shop all of a sudden in the evening and asked for hand sanitizers and face masks.
"Everyone bought five to ten sanitizers at a time and our stock of masks was almost out," he told Dhaka Tribune.
Visiting the Shukrabad branch of super-shop Shwapno, Dhaka Tribune found the stock of hand sanitizers had run out, while the sale of different brands of soaps, such as Lifebuoy and Dettol, had peaked.
Salesperson at the shop, who wished not to be named, said that just within ten minutes they were out of stock of hand sanitizers and many people went back empty-handed.
Mahbuba Rahman, a buyer at the Mirpur branch of Lazz Pharma, said after watching the news of corona infection on television, she went straight to the drug store and bought five masks, hand sanitizer and liquid hand-wash for her family.
"Some people bought even more as they wanted to keep them in stock for use in future," she said.
Asked about the prices, she said Tk120 was charged for a face mask, which used to be sold at Tk80 at other times. A 50-ml bottle of hand sanitizer was sold for Tk80 while 200-ml bottle was sold for Tk200.
Among the brands that people looked for most are Hexisol, Savlon, and Dettol.
The Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) has confirmed that three Bangladeshis have tested positive in the country for Covid-19, a new strain of coronavirus that has killed over 3,600 people around the world.
Three others, who were in contact with the infected trio, are also in quarantine at the moment, IEDCR Director Dr Meerjady Sabrina Flora disclosed the matter at a press briefing yesterday.
Two of the three infected recently returned from different cities in Italy. All three are aged between 20 and 35, she added.
