The supermarkets say they won’t sell masks on their shelves in case people stockpile and create shortages.
But every major supermarket label in France is listed on the Economy ministry website as having confirmed that they will begin selling masks on 4 May.
Intermarché says it will have 90 million surgical masks for sale but that customers will have to reserve them.
Customers with loyalty cards who are easy to contact will be approached first. They’ll be offered a voucher allowing them to collect a box of 50 face masks at their local supermarket.
Customers without loyalty cards will be able to reserve the boxes using the cumpany’s website from May 4th.
Leclerc will be selling 170 million masks in the coming weeks.
Company boss Michel-Edouard Leclerc told BFMTV there were difficulties in the supply chain, commenting « It wasn’t easy. Some of our orders were stolen.” He said the masks would be sold in batches of 10 but that there would be no major advertising campaign announcing availability. “I don’t want everyone rushing out of lockdown and crowding the stores to buy them next week,” he commented.
How much?
Supermarkets have undertaken to sell the masks at reasonable prices.
Re usable masks should cost between 2-3 euros while single use masks will be priced at under one euro.
The government has not imposed a maximum price limit on the sale of masks as it did with hand sanitizer, as the range of mask suppliers is too varied.
Paris region boss Valérie Pécresse has also floated the idea of selling masks in vending machines outside metro train and tram stations.
Petition launched
The health minister Olivier Véran confirmed on French radio today that those on welfare or in severe financial difficulty would receive free masks.
Several towns have already begun the distribution of free masks to people in need via postal or other services.
Meanwhile, Olivier Léonhardt, Senator of the RDSE Democratic Left political group has launched a petition demanding that the French health system refund the cost of masks on a widespread basis.
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told French MPs yesterday that there would be enough masks for all who need them by May 11.
