Coronavirus: demand for face masks rises in Horsham town centre

People looking to buy face masks in Horsham town centre may be out of luck after three pharmacies said they had no stock.
By The Newsroom
Published 5th Feb 2020, 17:14 BST
Updated 6th Feb 2020, 15:55 BST
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A County Times reporter was unable to buy the protective masks in Lloyds Pharmacy in Sainsbury’s, Boots or Superdrug today (February 5).

All three said they had lots of people asking to purchase face masks as fears around the coronavirus continue to rise.

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There have so far been two confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK.

This photo illustration taken on January 28, 2020 shows protective face masks in Bangkok. - Thailand has detected 14 cases so far of the novel coronavirus, a virus similar to the SARS pathogen, an outbreak which began in the Chinese city of Wuhan. (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP) (Photo by MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images)This photo illustration taken on January 28, 2020 shows protective face masks in Bangkok. - Thailand has detected 14 cases so far of the novel coronavirus, a virus similar to the SARS pathogen, an outbreak which began in the Chinese city of Wuhan. (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP) (Photo by MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images)
This photo illustration taken on January 28, 2020 shows protective face masks in Bangkok. - Thailand has detected 14 cases so far of the novel coronavirus, a virus similar to the SARS pathogen, an outbreak which began in the Chinese city of Wuhan. (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP) (Photo by MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images)

But the Boots website is showing out of stock of Safe & Sound Surgical Face Masks - 6 Pack and 3M Splash Resistant Face Masks - Box of 50 masks.

A spokeswoman for LloydsPharmacy said: “We understand that the coverage around the spread of the coronavirus is a cause for concern for our customers and patients, so we have issued guidance to our pharmacy teams to help them deal with any questions.

“This advice is in line with the latest direction from the Department of Health and Social Care.

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“We are committed to supporting our people and our patients and we will be providing them with regular updates as things progress.

“We don’t currently stock face masks at LloydsPharmacy.”

A spokeswoman for Superdrug added: “We don’t have any face masks in stock and we strongly urge customers to follow the guidance of NHS England which is to focus on good hygiene and hand washing.”

A Boots spokeswoman said: “The best way to help prevent catching a virus is by making sure you regularly wash your hands with soap, and avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth to prevent transmission from surfaces, especially after blowing your nose, sneezing and coughing.

“All our pharmacists have the latest public health advice on coronavirus and can offer advice on the best way to stay healthy this winter.”

Related topics:CoronavirusBootsMasks