Mumbai: To regulate sales and storage of PPE kits and N-95 masks, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) activates teams of inspectors (medicines), directs the to inspect manufacturing plants for overpricing and hoarding of PPE kits and N-95 mask.
The move came after the state government and FDA received complaints. The FDA maharashtra on Thursday issued an order on the same and is looking at regulating the sales of N-95 masks and PPE kit amid the global Coronovirus crisis.
Besides, the Food and Medicine regulatory body has also directed chemists to sell PPE kits only on doctors’ prescription, said a senior FDA official from Konka division said on Friday.
The official said, “We have started regulating the sale and storage of coronavirus kits to prevent hoarding and overpricing. The state government has received many complaints about the menace.”
FDA commissioner Arun Unhale on Thursday stated the Maharashtra government and FDA had received several complaints of chemists selling PPE kits and N-95 masks at prices higher than the MRP.
The order stated FDA inspectors have been directed to inspect the stock and storage of kits at manufacturing plants and supply chains and penalise those who hoard the equipments.
COVID-19 dashboard
- Currently, 22 persons are in isolation wards in Maharashtra; 13 were admitted at Kasturba Hospital in Mumbai on Friday.
- 4 persons are in isolation in Pune, 3 in Nashik, 1 each in Nanded and Sangli districts.
- The Centre asks the state government to postpone social events amid Coronavirus outbreak.
- No face masks should be sold without doctor’s prescription to avoid hoarding of goods, as per the state FDA directions.
- At Mumbai International Airport, total 83,516 passengers from 684 aircrafts were screened until March 6.
- As per recent directions from the Centre, all flyers from the Coronavirus-hit countries will be screened at the airport itself.
- Screening of passengers at Pune and Nagpur airports has already been started.
- So far, over 516 flyers from the Corona-affected regions have arrived and screened in Maharashtra.
- Since January 18, 229 people have been admitted in isolation wards after they complained of fever, cold and cough.
- Of them, samples from 204 patients tested negative for the disease and discharged.
