Medical masks in Azerbaijan no longer in short supply

Azerbaijan seems to have solved its medical mask problem, social media users are suggesting.

According to official data, on the morning of April 13, 1,089 cases of coronavirus infection were recorded in Azerbaijan.  12 people have died, 250 recovered.

“In a small pharmacy near my house, masks no longer need to be ordered in advance.  A local one can be bought for only 30 qepig [about 17 cents], with a limit of five per person” one Facebook user writes.

• Combating the epidemic in Georgia – church remains biggest risk
• “They answered so rudely, as if I was begging” – how the pandemic has affected traders in Azerbaijan
• What does Baku look like during quarantine?

However, he adds that these masks of local production are not fabric, but are made of a material similar to plastic.  But, “they protect the face from touch, protect them from large drops of aerosol and give psychological [relief].”

Another user, who lives in a suburban village near Baku, says that 200 masks delivered to pharmacies every day, which are sold out within a couple of hours.

Since mid-February, the shortage of masks in Azerbaijan has been felt very acutely. Pharmacies were receiving just 40-50 units per day, and the price increased significantly. This was due to the fact that there was no local production of masks in the country, and importing them from abroad became problematic.

But on April 6, a mask factory was opened in the city of Sumgait.  At first, it is producing 120,000masks per day, however soon the production volume will be brought up to 200-250 thousand.

As for other ways to protect against coronavirus, in pharmacies there is plenty of rubbing alcohol, the demand for which has also increased since the beginning of the pandemic.  Even at grocery stores, you can buy a liter of alcohol for 6 manat [about $3.5].

 At present, Azerbaijan has declared a strict quarantine regime – closed metro, parks, squares, almost all commercial facilities, organizations and enterprises.  

To go out, you must either have a certificate of employment or receive SMS permission from the authorities, which is issued only once a day for two hours.  People over 65 are generally not allowed to leave the house. Moreover, the state of emergency has not yet been declared a state of emergency, which makes all of these prohibitions, in fact, illegal.