Focus Taiwan
Date: 02/07/2020
By: William Yen and Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, Feb. 7 (CNA) Buying face masks has been a challenge for many people in Taiwan during the first two days of a new government rationing program, and members of the international community told CNA Friday they were having similar problems.

Demand for face masks has surged amid fears of the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), and shortages have forced the government to ration mask purchases to two per person every seven days at pharmacies contracted by the national health insurance (NHI) system.

Many Taiwanese have been forced to wait in lines to get their hands on two of the 200 face masks made available at each pharmacy per day or have found that the pharmacies have sold out, and foreign nationals have faced similar problems.

Perla Lupo, a factory worker from the Philippines, said it was very difficult to buy face masks where she is in Guanyin District in Taoyuan because she and her colleagues need to be at work when the masks are being sold.    [FULL  STORY]