Convenience stores banned from selling face masks to own staff
The Department of Internal Trade (DIT) has banned the staff of convenience stores from purchasing face masks in their place of work after some of them were found to be selling them.
Department director-general Whichai Phochanakij said: “We have discussed this issue with convenience store operators. If the operators cannot stop this problem, we will not send them the face masks.”
In addition, the department has prohibited the sales of masks at night as the products at these times were found to be purchased by store staff instead of the general people.
“We have asked the mask factories to increase production of medical masks, by adapting the production line of other masks, such as N95 and Carbon masks,” he added. “Production has been increased from 1.2 million pieces per day to 1.56 million, and recently 1.71 million.”
Some 900,000 masks will be given to the Public Health Ministry for distribution to hospitals and medical centres.
Meanwhile, the DIT will sell 810,000 masks through retail centres such as Tesco Lotus and Big C, drug stores, and 7-Eleven convenience stores.
“Recently, Café Amazon joined as a point of distribution,” he added.
The director-general said that he had discussions with the mask factories, and estimated that mask production could reach a daily minimum of 2.2 million pieces.