Less than 24 hours after Government announced the country’s first case of the deadly coronavirus, scores of Guyanese rushed to pharmacies and other business establishments to stock up on products to help fight the infection.
Persons in queue on Thurday to purchase respiratory masks, gloves, hand sanitizers and Lysol
Businesses, however, have begun to capitalise on the situation, hiking prices – in some cases drastically – for products such as facemasks, gloves, sanitizers and disinfectant sprays.
This newspaper was informed of one instance where someone paid $2500 for a single respiratory facemask. At some shops, the price for the Lysol sprays has doubled.
However, the Private Sector Commission (PSC), as well as the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC), has condemned the sudden and significant increase in prices.
The PSC, in a statement to the media on Thursday, said it is disappointed that businesses have inflated their prices.
“As the threat of the coronavirus induces panic among the general populace, the Private Sector Commission is dismayed at recent claims reported in the media of businesses inflating the prices of necessities needed to combat the coronavirus disease,” the Commission said.
A customer donning a face mask at a Georgetown pharmacy
“The PSC condemns all acts of price gouging by businesses,” the PSC added.
Additionally, the CCAC, in a statement, appealed to businesses to do the morally right thing.
“While the Commission has no legal standing to regulate market prices, we wish to use moral suasion in our appeal to suppliers to revert to the common prices for the items they are now gouging on,” the Commission said.
“The CCAC highlights that it is morally wrong to take advantage of consumers during any national emergency, in this case, that of a possible public health crisis. We again appeal to suppliers to put your countrymen/people over excessive profit,” the CCAC contended.
Already, persons in the capital city and other areas have begun to wear facemasks in a bid to safeguard themselves from contracting the virus.
