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Surgical masks scarce in Japan amid virus fears, resale prices soar

Feb 06 (Kyodo) - As the supply of surgical masks in Japan's stores runs low amid fears of the new coronavirus from China, some have attempted to profit from the situation by offering masks for resale online at rates far higher than retail prices.

Manufacturers are at full throttle to produce enough surgical masks to meet the snowballing demand, but many consumers have been unable to find them in drugstores or convenience stores that normally offer a variety of the products ahead of Japan's hay fever season.

A pharmacy near JR Shimbashi Station in central Tokyo posted a warning that it would sell each customer or group no more than two bags of surgical masks, a measure intended to prevent people from buying large quantities of the product and reselling them for profit.

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