With protective face masks in short supply, the South Korean government is limiting the number of masks each person can buy to two per person... per week.
That takes effect Monday, but there will be some exceptions for senior citizens and children.
Our Eum Ji-young has the details.
Starting Monday, mask purchases at pharmacies will require ID... because a five-day rotation system will take effect... under which only two masks can be bought per person per week... and only on designated days.
First vice finance minister Kim Yong-beom, at a press briefing on Sunday, mentioned some exceptions, though,... saying pharmacies will be allowed to sell masks to people buying them for others... if the other person is 10 or younger,... 80 or older... or if they have a disability.
"People can buy masks for someone else if their family registration says they live with someone who is 10 or younger or 80 or older. But they can only purchase the masks on that person's assigned day."
Under the 5-day rotation system, the day for buying masks is determined by the last digit of a person's birth year.
People born in a year ending with either 1 or 6 can buy masks on Mondays.
Those ending in 2 or 7 can buy on Tuesdays; 3 or 8 on Wednesdays,… 4 or 9 on Thursdays, and those born in a year ending in 5 or 0 can buy their masks on Fridays.
People unable to purchase masks during the week can do so on the weekend.
Meanwhile, speaking Sunday at Daegu city hall, Prime Minister Chung Se-kyun urged people to cooperate so that the system can settle in smoothly.
"Despite the inconvenience that this may cause, we ask people to show a mature sense of citizenship so that those who really need the masks can buy them first."
Chung also asked people to use cotton masks, which can be washed and reused, instead of the disposable ones.
Also, to further relieve the shortage, the South Korean government's decided to make it easier for ordinary people to buy masks from overseas.
According to the Korea Customs Service, when buying masks, hand sanitizer and thermometers, there will be no import duties or special paperwork to file until the end of June, but this only applies to items for personal use.
People will be able to import an amount worth up to 150 U.S. dollars, or 200 dollars when bought from the United States.
Eum Ji-young Arirang News.
#COVID19 #mask #SouthKorea
Arirang News Facebook:
0 Yorumlar