When will masks be available in normal supply? When will masks be out of stock?

We all know that masks are a common type of protective equipment. They are easy to use and can filter viruses and bacteria in the air to a certain extent to prevent infection with the new coronavirus. Many people wear masks. Currently, masks are in short supply. So when can we buy masks? Let's take a closer look!

When can I buy masks?

I guess we have to wait for a while, at least one or two months.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is making every effort to overcome various difficulties and promote production enterprises to work overtime to restore production capacity. Through the efforts during this period, the output has reached more than 8 million pieces a day, and the resumption of work and production has reached 40%. However, it should be noted that it takes time to restore and even expand production capacity. In addition to domestic production, we are also promoting international procurement to meet the national epidemic prevention and control needs.

In the face of the rapid spread of the epidemic, every additional mask produced is an additional layer of safety protection for the people and medical staff. The competent departments and related production enterprises dare not slack off, and have accelerated the race against time to ensure the supply of key epidemic prevention materials such as masks. However, due to the suspension of production and holidays during the Spring Festival, most of the workers of the relevant production enterprises returned to their hometowns, the supply of raw materials was stopped, and logistics were suspended. Temporary recall of employees to resume work and production, or even emergency expansion of production capacity, requires a period of time to solve a series of problems such as funds, workers, and raw material supply.

In addition, there are many non-productive factors that restrict the supply of masks. For example, the logistics and distribution problems caused by the adjustment of some railway lines and the suspension of some inter-provincial transportation. For example, the epidemic has occurred in the places where these mask production enterprises are located. Local governments have made large-scale purchases, and the amount of external dispatch is decreasing. To this end, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has established a temporary reserve system for national prevention and control materials, directly allocated materials for key production enterprises, and strived to achieve a national chess game, especially to ensure the supply of Wuhan and other areas of Hubei Province. With the gradual recovery of mask production capacity in the near future, this tense situation is expected to gradually ease.

Where can I buy masks?

At present, the demand for masks has increased sharply, and the inventory of masks has been constantly changing. No one can guarantee that there will always be sufficient supply. We should try as many purchasing methods and channels as possible. Nowadays, mask manufacturers across the country have recalled workers and are working overtime to rush production. I believe that the shortage of masks will gradually ease.

1. JD.com

You may say that JD.com's own masks are often out of stock. But in fact, JD.com has been replenishing stocks. If you check from time to time, you can still buy them. JD Logistics also delivers goods normally during the Spring Festival, and the delivery time is relatively fast. For example, one of my friends, who is still traveling abroad, has placed several orders for Honeywell N95 masks for 19.9 yuan for 5 pieces, and they have all been delivered to the Fengchao cabinet in her community. "I just check the link frequently, and occasionally I will encounter restocking." But she said that the ordering time must be fast, sometimes it will be displayed as out of stock within a few minutes after payment.

It is understood that from January 19 to 22, JD.com sold more than 126 million masks, 310,000 bottles of disinfectant, and 1 million bottles of hand sanitizer. JD.com is also communicating closely with core brand merchants in various categories to promote overtime production, optimize inventory, and strive for faster delivery time and more delivery quantity. On average, more than 15.8 million masks from major brands such as 3M and Honeywell are shipped to warehouses and put on shelves at high speed every day.

2. Taobao Tmall

When buying masks, consumers can choose merchants marked with "Spring Festival delivery", which means that these merchants can deliver during the Spring Festival. Juhuasuan's 10 billion yuan subsidy also launched an "anti-virus zone". In addition to masks, the products in the anti-virus zone cover various categories such as washing, disinfection, and health, such as hand sanitizer, detergent, disinfectant, VC effervescent tablets, etc.

On January 20 and 21, 80 million masks were sold on Taobao, and Taobao is now urgently preparing stocks across the country. During the Spring Festival, masks purchased by consumers on Tmall Supermarket can be shipped in nearly 300 cities across the country. It is reported that Juhuasuan's 10 billion yuan subsidy will be launched at the same time as the official subsidy, and it will try its best to organize the supply and ensure smooth delivery, so that consumers can buy genuine masks at stable prices.

3. Pinduoduo

You can buy it in the "Anti-epidemic Special Channel". During the Spring Festival, all products covered by this channel will be shipped by SF Express. It is understood that Pinduoduo has ensured the supply of emergency products including masks, thermometers, antiviral granules, etc. through "10 billion subsidies".

4. Korean gmarket website

This is the largest shopping website in South Korea. You can enter the website by searching "gmarket" on Baidu. The website supports Chinese services, and all the products on the shelves can be directly shipped to China. Currently, there are a large number of masks available for purchase on gmarket, but due to the Spring Festival holiday, the delivery date will be delayed.

5. eBay China

In China, you can directly open abay, switch to simplified Chinese in the upper right corner of the page, change the delivery address to China, use QQ/NetEase and other common email addresses, and register as a member for free. In the search box, directly enter the Chinese word "mask", the first product is surgical mask, click to buy, and then provide online support.

6. Amazon Japan official website

Open the computer browser and type in www.amazon.co.jp to enter the Amazon Japan official website. You can see that there are still a small number of N95 masks and medical masks available for purchase, and the prices have not increased significantly. The average price of a disposable N95 mask is about RMB 50, and the average price of a medical mask is RMB 5 to 7.

2020 JD.com Mask Booking and Purchase Time

Reservation time: Reservation starts at 15:00 every day

Purchase time: 20:00-20:30 every day

Mask type: medical surgical mask

Purchase quantity: Each user is limited to one purchase of masks every three days, and each order is limited to 1 piece, and 1 piece contains 10 masks.

Booking and purchasing platform: Search for "mask" on JD APP to enter

Reservation process:

Step 1: Make an appointment. The appointment starts at 15:00 every day. Only those who have made a successful appointment are eligible to purchase.

Step 2: Buy now. The sale starts at 20:00 every day. The supply is limited, so first come first served.

Step 3: Express delivery to your home

What are the commonly used masks for virus protection?

To protect against viral infection, the commonly used types of masks are as follows:

1. Disposable medical masks: This type of mask is recommended for the public to use in non-crowded public places, such as transportation, or walking on the street.

2. Medical surgical masks: The protective effect is better than disposable medical masks. It is recommended that suspected cases, public transportation drivers and passengers, taxi drivers, sanitation workers, public service personnel, etc. wear them while on duty.

3. KN95/N95 and above particulate protection masks: The protective effect is better than medical surgical masks and disposable medical masks. It is recommended for field investigation, sampling and testing personnel. The public can also wear them in highly crowded places or enclosed public places.

4. Medical protective masks: Medical protective masks are the highest level of professional masks. They are generally recommended for medical staff in fever clinics and isolation wards and when confirmed patients are transferred.

It should be noted that when purchasing masks, some cotton masks, sponge masks and activated carbon masks cannot provide protection against viral infections, so it is recommended not to buy them.