Officials on alert for facemask overpricing

Demand for the protective medical masks has skyrocketed amid the China-based coronavirus scare, prompting the Cabinet on Tuesday (February 3) to add facemasks and handwash gel to a list of goods for which prices are strictly controlled.
Chartree Areewong, director of the department’s Bureau of Inspection and Operation, on Wednesday urged consumers who encounter high prices being charged for the items to call the 1569 hotline and report it.
If they make a purchase, he said, they should retain the receipt or take a picture of it as evidence.
“People who hoard or sell masks at a high price could face seven years’ imprisonment and a Bt140,000 fine,” Chartree warned.

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