Trade control in Kurdistan Region to regulate mask prices amid increasing demand

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – In a bid to prevent spiking prices as the demand for protective masks increases following the market reopening, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)’s Trade Control Directorate set prices for surgical masks used to mitigate the risks of transmission.  

The regulated price for a box of face masks should not be over 10,000 IQD ($8), Hemin Said Murad, Erbil’s director of trade control, told Kurdistan 24. He added that the price regulation came following a spike in prices due to a monopoly.

As part of its regulations to relieve the economy amid a months-long lockdown, the KRG decided to reopen markets with strict health guidelines to prevent further outbreaks.

The relevant government agencies in the Kurdistan Region repeatedly urge shopkeepers, drivers, and businesses to strictly adhere to the health guidelines, using protective gear such as wearing face masks and gloves. That dramatically increased the prices of face masks, in particular.

Those who do not abide by the new regulation will face legal consequences, the director added.

Following the COVID-19 outbreak in the Kurdistan Region, demands have increased for protective gear, particularly surgical masks. In response, several mini factories were opened across the region to meet the demand.

The Directorate of Quality Control in the Kurdistan Region supervises the quality of the locally produced face masks, Said Murad added. “We’ve also asked them not to reduce the quality as we’ve regulated the prices,” he noted.

According to the health ministry’s latest figures, there are 745 confirmed cases in the Kurdistan Region, including eight deaths, and 422 recoveries.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany

(Additional reporting by Hero Mawludi)