February 27:  Vendors and local pharmacies in Nepal have hiked the price of surgical and face masks by more than three times following the rise in demand for such masks.

A packet of mask which was available at Rs 500 about a month ago now costs more than Rs 1500.

Until January 28, a packet of branded mask was available at Rs 500 while other normal packets of masks used to cost Rs 300. However, vendors have hiked the price to Rs 1700 and Rs 1000 respectively citing lack of supply due to scarcity of masks following the coronavirus outbreak in China.

A representative of Nims Pharmacy located in Thapathali informed NBA that the vendors have increased the price of masks by more than three times.

The outbreak of Covid-19 (Coronavirus) in Wuhan, China has created a panic in the global health sector and Nepal is not an exception.

This has increased the demand for masks and the vendors are taking advantage of the situation by hiking the price arbitrarily.