After declaring sanitisers and face masks as essential commodities, the government has now fixed the prices of these two items, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs Ram Vilas Paswan said in a tweet.
Since the outbreak of Coronavirus the prices of face masks and sanitisers have seen a huge surge in the market making them not readily accessible for the poor and lower middle class.
Paswan said, "Under the Essential Commodities Act, the prices of fabric used in two-pay and three-ply surgical masks will remain the same as it was on February 12, while the retail price of two-ply masks will be at Rs 8 per mask and three-play mask will be at Rs 10 per mask."
Similarly, the retail price of 200 ml bottle of hand sanitiser will not exceed Rs 100 and other sizes of bottles will also be priced in the same proportion. These prices will be applicable throughout the country till June 30, 2020.
According to the latest data released by Union Health Ministry, over 300 persons have been tested positive for the Coronavirus. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has widened the scope of testing to include some asymptomatic individuals as well.
