Solidarity? When It Comes To Masks, It's Every Nation For Itself
Muhammad Irfan Published April 03, 2020 | 09:56 PM
From government stock seizures to sales to the highest bidder on airport tarmacs, the hunt for face masks amid the coronavirus outbreak has become a global free-for-all where the rules of fair play no longer apply
Paris, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Apr, 2020 ) :From government stock seizures to sales to the highest bidder on airport tarmacs, the hunt for face masks amid the coronavirus outbreak has become a global free-for-all where the rules of fair play no longer apply.
Officials worldwide were caught short by the crisis with most countries unable to manufacture the millions of masks needed every day for health workers alone.
So nearly everyone is turning to China and other Asian producers, and some players are doing whatever it takes to get their hands on the coveted stocks.
"Procurement markets for COVID-19 supplies are collapsing, and the traditional means of competition and transparency are really not being used," Christopher Yukins, a law professor at George Washington University said during a videoconference Thursday.
Even among Western countries that are nominally allies, accusations of unscrupulous behaviour have underscored the mounting anxiety over mask shortages.
The president of the Ile-de-France region encompassing Paris, Valerie Pecresse, said this week that a shipment of masks ordered for her hard-hit department was snatched at the last minute by "Americans who made a higher bid".
"The Americans pay cash sight unseen, which obviously can be more tempting for people just looking to make money off the entire world's distress," she said.
Pecresse offered no details on the purported American buyers, but officials in at least two other French regions also claimed US buyers swept in to acquire their Chinese orders -- in one case on the airport runway just as the plane was about to take off.
In Washington, a senior administration official told AFP "the United States government has not purchased any masks intended for delivery from China to France."The buyers could well have been private firms, or middlemen working on behalf of individual American states.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
PSX gains 771 points
PITB HR Wing organizes Eid Milan celebration for children at PITB Day Care Cente ..
Cabinet briefed on progress of PIA privatization
Meeting held to streamline trade between Pak-Afghan , Central Asian Republics
SONY x TECNO - is this for real?
Progress of Aaghosh, Bunyad, Khud Mukhtar programs discussed
SBP to announce monetary policy on April 29
London stocks hit new record peak on takeovers
Summer School on Understanding Greenhouse Gas Emission and Measurement Technique ..
Rupee sees slight recovery against US dollar
Govt to out source waste management companies to generate revenue
Rawat police arrest four robbers; recover Rs 700,000
More Stories From World
-
UK man charged with 'Russia-backed arson plot' on Ukraine-linked targets
19 minutes ago -
EU toughens safety rules for online retailer Shein
19 minutes ago -
French barber still trimming at 90
19 minutes ago -
Barrett inspires Crusaders' return to form against Rebels
28 minutes ago -
Philippine settlement submerged by dam reappears due to drought
29 minutes ago -
Blinken says US campus protests part of 'democracy'
48 minutes ago
-
Vietnam National Assembly head resigns amid graft purge
1 hour ago -
Team from Gaza mediator Egypt heads to Israel: source
1 hour ago -
Xi tells Blinken US, China should be 'partners, not rivals'
1 hour ago -
Ukraine agriculture minister freed on bail in corruption case
2 hours ago -
Vietnam National Assembly head resigns amid graft purge
2 hours ago -
Calls for mosque demolition weigh on India's Muslim voters
2 hours ago