HUBBALLI
: Medical stores are witnessing a steep drop in the sales of masks and hand sanitisers. Some say that the demand has shrunk by nearly 80 per cent.
Store owners in Hubballi are wringing their hands as they have maintained huge stocks of the products after anticipating strong demand throughout the pandemic.
A Pankaj, who owns a medical store in Gokul Road area, said that many people had become lax about Covid-19 precautions, avoiding wearing masks and sanitising their hands frequently, and this had resulted in poor sales. “People have almost stopped buying sanitisers,” he said.
Another store owner, Sridhar, said that in the initial months of the pandemic, people scrambled to buy safety products. “They used to buy any brand. We sold a huge number of
sanitiser
bottles in April and May. Now, there is variety in the market, but no one is buying it,” he said.
Mask
sales are also down.
Deputy drug controller Mallikarjun KS said the district administration was creating awareness about mask use and handwashing. “As masks are an unregulated commodity, it’s hard to tell by how much the sales have dipped. People should not lower their guard,” he said.