East London stores sell out of face masks, hand sanitiser every day

Face masks, normally used by construction workers and painters, have become one of the most sought after items in and around East London since the outbreak of the coronavirus globally.

A visit to three Clicks stores in East London confirmed the masks were selling like “hot cakes”.

One staff member, who did not want to be named as she does not have a mandate to speak to the media, said the last batch of the masks were sold out on Friday, even though new stock had come in on Thursday.

“People are scared. They want the masks very badly, because they can see now that the virus has hit home,” she said.

She said she attributed the spree to news of SA's first coronavirus case being confirmed in Hilton near Pietermaritzburg on Thursday.

A total of 18 people have been asked to “self-quarantine” as a result of making contact with the man.

This was announced by KwaZulu-Natal MEC for health Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu on Friday.

Clicks chief commercial officer Rachel Wrigglesworth said: “Clicks has seen an increase in sales of both facemasks and all hand sanitisers. Stores are being continuously replenished with stock on all these products.” 

Clicks customers who spoke to the Dispatch said they have gone to various stores without finding any masks.

Gladys Payne, 48, said she could not find the masks anywhere.

Another customer Nomgcobo Maso said she could not find any masks but was using a lot of hand sanitiser.

“We are scared because we are using public transport,”  she said.

A taxi cab driver said her boss had told staff that the company would buy anti-germ sprays for fleet vehicles.

“My kind of work is dangerous because I meet different people everyday and we sit in proximity to them,”  said the driver.

Churches have also taken steps to guard against the spread of the virus.

Measures taken by the Parish of St Joseph in Morningside, Durban, for example, include the removal of   holy water fonts; no holding or shaking of hands during the liturgy; the sign of peace exchanged by a wave, a say or a simple nod of the head; and the chalice not being available for communion.

Meanwhile, processes to repatriate South Africans have been slow going.

The government announced plans last week to repatriate expats, particularly those living in isolation in the city of Wuhan, which was  earlier identified as the epicentre of the outbreak.

But a young East London couple told DispatchLIVE on Friday that there had been no communication from the government and they were still confined to their apartment in Wuhan.

All they had been asked to do was fill in a questionnaire to fill in their personal details.

In total, 184 South Africans will be flown home from Wuhan, according to a statement by the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure.