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Albert Han

Hong Kong’s customs officials arrested four pharmacy directors on Saturday afternoon for selling masks that exceeded the limit of bacterial count by up to about 12 times.
The directors – three men and one woman aged 28 to 40 – were arrested from from Lockhart Road, Tin Lok Lane, and Spring Garden Lane in Wan Chai and Causeway Bay.
The Customs Department said the four brands of 50-pack boxes of masks were found to have bacterial count exceeding the maximum permitted limit by 0.4 to 11.5 times during a lab test, contravening the Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance.

The face coverings, priced between HK$200 (US$26) and HK$499 for a 50-pack box, could be particularly dangerous for the elderly and children and those with a weak immune system, authorities said.
“These masks may cause irritation in the face and respiratory problems,” Philip Li Man-kai, head of the Customs Department’s consumer protection bureau, said.
Hong Kong is facing a shortage of masks, toilet paper and leadership
Hong Kong retailers have been accused of price gouging on protective gear and selling substandard masks as the city battles the Covid-19 pandemic.
Acting on consumer complaints, customs officers have conducted more than 22,000 inspections on the premises of retailers across Hong Kong since January 27 to check brand authenticity, certifications, and safety standards of surgical masks.

The first three batches of 60 samples of surgical masks the department bought had passed the tests. The four brands in question were in the last batch of 24 samples tested.
Two brands came from Turkey and Nepal, while the source of two other brands were still under investigation.
Mask scam preying on pandemic cons HK$3 million from seven Hongkongers
“We are guessing the goods could have come from Southeast Asia,” he said.
Customs officers are investigating how the masks were imported into Hong Kong.
Under Hong Kong law, repeat offenders could face a maximum of two years imprisonment and a HK$500,000 penalty for importing substandard goods.
On Friday, the department said it arrested 20 pharmacy workers for allegedly selling hand sanitisers with false descriptions on their alcohol content.
Hong Kong registered 137 confirmed coronavirus infections as of Saturday afternoon.


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Coronavirus pandemic

Hong Kong customs officials arrest four persons for selling masks with dangerous bacterial count

Customs officers on Saturday arrested four people from pharmacies in Wan Chai and Causeway Bay for selling masks with dangerous levels of bacterial count. Photo: Dickson Lee

Customs officers arrested four people from pharmacies after the masks they sold were found to contain baterial level nearly 12 times above the standard.  14MAR20 SCMP/ Dickson Lee

Hong Kong Customs today (March 14) appealed to members of the public to stop using four types of surgical masks as test results revealed that the bacterial counts of those four types of surgical masks exceeded the maximum permitted limit. Traders should take off the products from the shelves as well. Customs is proactively looking into the source of those surgical masks. Photo shows one of the surgical masks involved.SCMP Pictures (HANDOUT from ISD)

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The masks – with bacterial count exceeding limit by 0.4 to 11.5 times – could be dangerous for the elderly, children or those with weak immunity
Two brands came from Turkey and Nepal, while the source of two other brands are still under investigation



The masks – with bacterial count exceeding limit by 0.4 to 11.5 times – could be dangerous for the elderly, children or those with weak immunity.


Coronavirus pandemic: All stories

Wellness

Consumer protection in Hong Kong