Coronavirus: free masks from Hong Kong government appear for sale online
- The reusable masks are offered for up to HK$200 each even before they are sent out in HK$320 million bid to combat Covid-19
- Critics say government should have launched the plan earlier and closed loopholes to stop profiteering
Masks from the Hong Kong government’s giveaway have been advertised for sale online, the Post has found, leading critics to accuse officials of taking too long to introduce the scheme aimed at fighting Covid-19’s spread.
At least nine individuals have offered the reusable mask – to be handed out for free to every city resident who wants one – for up to HK$200 (US$26) each on Carousell, the online selling platform.
The profiteering has prompted legislators, lawyers and a former government official to question the timing of the handout and raise loophole concerns.
The CuMask+, which gets its name from the chemical symbol for copper, the key filtering component, is produced by a local manufacturer subsidised by the government’s anti-epidemic fund. It can be reused and washed 60 times.
The government has pledged to deliver one to every resident in Hong Kong, which has a population of 7.5 million. The total cost of producing the HK$40 masks (US$5) is estimated at about HK$320 million (US$41 million).
