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Sum Lok-kei

Zoe Low

Chan Ho-him

Hongkongers are facing shortages and price rises on top of cold weather during their increasingly frantic quests for surgical masks to help protect themselves from the Wuhan coronavirus.
The number of confirmed cases of the deadly new virus has increased in the city, while the death toll continues to rise in mainland China.
Thousands of people in Hong Kong have been queuing daily outside shops and pharmacies hoping to stock up on the facial coverings, many of them leaving empty-handed and some trying their luck online instead.
Amid a mounting sense of desperation, the government and industry insiders have predicted supplies of the surgical masks in Hong Kong will remain tight in the near future.


Here is what you need to know about the mask situation in Hong Kong as the epidemic continues to take hold across China and beyond:
Can surgical masks still be found in Hong Kong?
After the Lunar New Year holiday, some retail chains in the city, such as Watsons and Bonjour, said they were receiving deliveries of the masks for sale.
The announcements were greeted with hundreds of people queuing outside their branches to snap up supplies.
Often there is a cap on how many masks can be bought, with customers restricted to one box each. Many have instead turned to online shopping or friends and relatives overseas.
On the HKTV Mall website, hundreds of mask products, including ones not meeting standards for guarding against bacteria, have sold out – even a box of 10 masks for children was priced at more than HK$800 (US$103).
The company said more stock would be available next Monday.

Other shopping websites also list surgical mask products, but many lack details such as the place of origin and filtration features.
Some shoppers complained their online orders had been cancelled. A worker in her 20s, surnamed Cheng, said she had placed an order on the Korean site Gmarket, only for it to be rejected before she saw the same product advertised at a higher price.
What if I cannot get hold of any masks?
Given the shortages, the government has urged people to go out less and maintain high standards of personal hygiene.
University of Hong Kong infectious diseases expert Professor Yuen Kwok-yung agreed with the advice, saying social distancing was the “only thing to do” when masks are not readily available.
Doctors have urged people to exercise good hygiene by washing their hands frequently with soap or cleaning them with alcohol sanitiser.


The Department of Health said people should wash their hands with soap for at least 20 seconds before touching their eyes, mouth or nose, as well as before eating.
If hand-washing is not practical, using a 70 to 80 per cent alcohol-based sanitiser will also work.
People should also clean their homes with a 1-99 bleach-to-water solution, and make sure their indoor areas are well ventilated.
What is the Hong Kong government doing?
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said last Saturday she had written to Beijing’s State Council asking for help to maintain the supply of masks in Hong Kong.
On Thursday, her deputy, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said more than 32 million masks were on their way to the city for public use.
Thousands queue for masks in Hong Kong, fearing spread of virus
The prison authority said inmates will be making masks around the clock from next Monday to boost production by 55 per cent to 70,000 per day for government use.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s Customs and Excise Department launched a campaign on Monday against surgical masks with false origin claims or trademarks, as well as goods failing to meet safety standards.
This came after members of the public spotted people in Hong Kong selling masks that were unpacked and even stained.


What is the best practice for wearing masks?
According to Yuen, when wearing a surgical mask, one should first sanitise both hands, then put on the mask making sure it is fixed correctly with the coloured side facing outwards.
Position the elastic to make sure it stays in place over both ears and fit the metallic strip to the bridge of the nose.
“Then one should breathe in and out to see if the mask is in position properly and make sure it doesn’t move [up and down]. There should also not be any air leaks at the sides,” Yuen said.
The top microbiologist noted that people with smaller faces, himself included, found the mask often slipped off the nose after being worn for some time, especially after speaking for long periods.
Coronavirus: WHO faces unprecedented challenge, experts say
Those encountering such issues should adjust the metallic strip to make it tighter on the nose bridge area, shortening the width of the mask so it fits better.
As for how long a mask could be worn before a new one should be used, Yuen said it would depend on whether the mask had become dirty, wet or damaged.
“But if that is not the case, I think you can keep wearing the same mask for [at most] eight hours and take it off when you get back home,” he said, adding that during shortages people should avoid going out, to protect supplies.
What are the common misconceptions about surgical masks?
Although medical experts have called on people to wear the single-use surgical masks, some politicians have been seen promoting questionable practices and have faced criticism from internet users.
Pro-establishment lawmaker Ann Chiang Lai-wan, chairwoman of the Legislative Council’s health services panel, has been widely criticised for posting a video about reusing masks after steaming them at high temperatures.
Audrey Eu Yuet-mee, former chairwoman of the opposition Civic Party, also raised eyebrows by promoting home-made cloth masks, saying they could be reused after washing.
Life in the time of coronavirus: a week in lockdown in Wuhan
Dr Gabriel Choi Kin, former president of the Hong Kong Medical Association, said both methods were unsafe.
“They are called disposable masks because you have to dispose of them,” Choi said.
Steaming or washing surgical masks would harm their physical integrity, while masks made of normal fabric would not filter bacteria, he said.
Hospital Authority chief infection control officer Raymond Lai Wai-man also warned against keeping used masks, calling it “incorrect”.
Lai added there was no need to pursue specialised products such as N95 masks. He said N95 masks required fitting tests and one that was not properly fixed in place was “not protective at all”.
How are those in Hong Kong’s poorest district coping?
Low-income people living in Sham Shui Po had been badly affected by mask shortages, according to the Society for Community Organisation (SoCO).
Some were unable to go to work after their employers made it mandatory to wear face masks, said the church-backed group, which helps the city’s poor.
“Others have started washing surgical masks to reuse,” SoCO community organiser Sze Lai-shan said.
The organisation serves more than 10,000 low-income and elderly residents in the Sham Shui Po district, the poorest in Hong Kong.
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SoCO had been trying to source surgical masks to give out to the poor and elderly in the district, but it was likely they would have to wait until next week, Sze said.
District councillors had also been helping residents order masks, but faced waiting times of more than two weeks, she added.
“At the moment we just try to teach residents some of the basics such as hygiene, drinking more warm water and sleeping earlier,” she said.
Sze urged the government to come up with a better plan to ensure a supply of masks.


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Explainers

China coronavirus: where to find surgical masks in Hong Kong, when to throw used ones away and the myths surrounding them

Families are struggling to get hold of surgical masks, leading to long queues outside shops. Photo: May Tse

People queue up to buy masks in a Bonjour shop in Mong Kok. 30JAN20 Photo: SCMP/May Tse

China coronavirus: tensions high as thousands queue in Hong Kong desperate for masks, many leaving empty-handed

An assistant store manager at the Whampoa Garden branch of Watsons explains the situation to shoppers wanting to buy masks. Photo: Nora Tam

People queue outside Watsons for masks at Hang Hau. 30JAN20 Photo: SCMP/May Tse

Supplies of N95 mask running low in Hong Kong as Wuhan virus scare sparks panic buying and marked-up prices

N95 masks at a pharmacy in Wan Chai. Photo: Sam Tsang

Surgical masks are displayed for sale at a pharmacy in Wan Chai amid the recent virus outbreak from Wuhan, China. 06JAN20 SCMP / Sam Tsang

Product shot of an N95 SARS mask.SCMP in-house studio. 27 APRIL 2007

News

Hong Kong

Health & Environment


Thousands queue up for facial coverings in Hong Kong, but many left frustrated by citywide shortages
Read on for information about supplies, the government’s response and how best to protect yourself against Wuhan virus



Thousands queue up for the facial coverings in Hong Kong, but many left frustrated by citywide shortages.


Coronavirus pandemic

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Disease

Health in China