Coronavirus: world braces for condom shortage after Malaysia lockdown shuts top producer
- Karex Bhd, which makes one in every five condoms globally, has not produced a single rubber from its Malaysian plants for more than a week due to the lockdown
- The firm’s CEO warned that the shortage can run into months
That is already a shortfall of 100 million condoms, normally marketed internationally by brands such as Durex, supplied to state health care systems such as Britain’s NHS or distributed by aid programmes such as the UN Population Fund.
The company was given permission to restart production on Friday, but with only 50 per cent of its workforce, under a special exemption for critical industries.
“It will take time to jump-start factories and we will struggle to keep up with demand at half capacity,” Chief Executive Goh Miah Kiat said.
“We are going to see a global shortage of condoms everywhere, which is going to be scary,” he said. “My concern is that for a lot of humanitarian programmes deep down in Africa, the shortage will not just be two weeks or a month. That shortage can run into months.”
Makers of other critical items like medical gloves have also faced hiccups in their operations in Malaysia.
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In emailed comments, a spokesman for Durex said operations are continuing as normal and the company was not experiencing any supply shortages. “For our consumers, many of whom will be unable to access shops, our Durex online stores remain open for business.”
“The good thing is that the demand for condoms is still very strong because like it or not, it’s still an essential to have,” Goh said. “Given that at this point in time people are probably not planning to have children. It’s not the time, with so much uncertainty.”