A local mask maker says sales have surged 30-fold as residents stockpiled masks amid growing reports of pneumonic plague in Russia.
The disease, reportedly carrying a mortality rate of nearly 90 percent, has quickly fueled fears of a wider outbreak in the city.
Hung, owner of Hong Kong Mask, told Sing Tao Daily -- the sister publication of The Standard -- that a social media post about the pneumonic plague has drawn more than 500,000 views, followed by record sales. "We're completely overwhelmed," Hung said, adding the factory was swamped with orders up as much as 30-fold from normal levels.
While mask sales during past local flu seasons typically rose only two to four times, he noted that this surge has been unprecedented in both scale and duration.
Just the day before the plague reports emerged, he recounted, sales were already running at 300 to 400 percent of normal.
He added that sales reached 900 percent of normal by last Thursday and have since climbed to a cumulative 3,000 percent.
Hung said the company began as a supplier to clinics and hospitals, only shifting toward retail in the past two to three years. He attributed the current spike to retail buyers, whereas wholesale inquiries from businesses only rose four to five times.
When asked whether panic buying had set in, Hung said the rush came from regular mask users now stockpiling.
Still, he believed the situation could become more strained if the general public also started hoarding, as only a few people are currently wearing masks on the streets.
'Very scared': Residents fear repeat of Black Death
Among those carrying mask boxes is Chan, who said she was "very scared" of the reported Russian pneumonic plague.
She said she had kept a large stock of masks at home since the COVID-19 pandemic and wears one in crowded places.
Citing Hong Kong's dense housing and poor air quality, she said she had grown used to masking to protect her sensitive airways.
Fearing a repeat of the Black Death, she said she would pay closer attention to personal and household hygiene and joked that her home is clean and rat-free.
As residents improved their personal hygiene, she called on the government to step up street cleaning rather than "sit in air-conditioned rooms."
A couple, surnamed Lau, who described themselves as highly hygiene-conscious, said they were worried but taking it in stride.
"There's not much we can do," they said, adding they had long stocked up on masks in case supplies run short.
The couple further stated that they had never stopped wearing masks given the ongoing flu and COVID-19 risks, saying "there is no harm wearing a mask anyway.”
Regarding the risk of the plague reaching Hong Kong, Lau said she trusted the government to prepare thoroughly, avoiding the mistakes of past outbreaks with careful screening.
