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Coronavirus: No need to ‘panic buy’ sanitizer, masks, says local supplier

Mass buying of masks causing shortage for healthcare providers; plenty of hand sanitizer available and on order
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While not downplaying the coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, which the World Health Organization (WHO) states has now afflicted 100,000 people in more than 90 countries and caused over 3,600 deaths, the Sault’s Jim Mills, Health Gear Medical & Safety Inc. CEO, says he is urging the public not to ‘panic buy’ hand sanitizer bottles and protective masks.

Speaking to SooToday, Mills said (buying protective masks in bulk) “isn’t going to help the average person walking around in Sault Ste. Marie or anywhere else for that matter to prevent getting the coronavirus. They've got very little use for prevention. It’s causing a shortage for the healthcare professionals... if healthcare professionals get sick then we’ve got a big problem. Masks are available but they’re not necessary.”

“As far as masks go I’m only getting them in dribs and drabs. I’m getting in 10, 20 boxes at a time and we’re selling them to clinics and doctors' offices. People who are travelling can come in and buy one box, but is it necessary? It’s going to create a shortage for healthcare professionals.”

As for bottles of hand sanitizer, Mills said, “I don’t want people to ‘panic buy.’ That’s what concerns me.”

“There’s a need for hand sanitizer because everyone's sort of in panic mode now, but it’s available,” Mills said.

“We brought in a lot of bottles on Friday and we have another 500 bottles coming in this week. It depends on who your supplier is…I’m not downplaying it, we can get supplies. People don’t have to worry about getting it. They can get it. They may wait a day or two but we’ll get it for them.”

Mills criticized online suppliers for gouging people with inflated prices for hand sanitizer.

“People are panic buying toilet paper, diapers and baby food, and people are also making the mistake of buying from websites, and I know the U.S. government has cautioned eBay and Amazon... two-thirds of the United States have laws against gouging under these circumstances. eBay’s taken down all the third parties that were doing that. I don’t know what Amazon’s doing, but I know that a lot of third party sellers are asking ridiculous amounts of money for this because they can profit from it, which is totally unfair.”

Meanwhile, in Canada, as of early Monday morning, health officials have reported 67 confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19, 32 in Ontario.

No one has tested positive for COVID-19 at this time in the Sault and Algoma region.

As fears of COVID-19 spread, B.C. health officials have warned people they should consider cancelling their plans to take holidays on cruise ships over COVID-19 concerns.

Stock markets have taken a hit as fears of COVID-19 spread.

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) cancelled the 10-country women's world hockey championship tournament, which was scheduled for March 31 to April 10 in Nova Scotia due to fears of COVID-19. 


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Darren Taylor

About the Author: Darren Taylor

Darren Taylor is a news reporter and photographer in Sault Ste Marie. He regularly covers community events, political announcements and numerous board meetings. With a background in broadcast journalism, Darren has worked in the media since 1996.
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