Keep your mask where it belongs

Masks, the face coverings we are so used to seeing now, were once considered “irritating” and even today, some claim that it makes breathing difficult and brings down oxygen levels. Still, anyone will hardly argue about its usefulness in preventing infectious diseases – and its economic prospect – after nearly two years of the coronavirus outbreak which brought the world to its knees.

Before the pandemic struck, the use of masks was limited to doctors, health workers, a small number of sick people, and those who were health-conscious. But the Covid-19 pandemic changed it all.

Masks, in general, have been worn for centuries but surgical ones were first used by doctors in the USA and Germany in the 1920s. “It was mainly the use of the mask to cover the mouth and nose during the Manchurian plague of 1910–11 and the influenza pandemic of 1918–19 that turned the face mask into a means of protecting medical workers and patients from infectious diseases outside of the operating room” – says an article in The Lancet on the history of masks. Initially, they were reusable but they were eventually replaced by disposable ones.

When the pandemic struck at the turn of 2020, masks began to be used widely. Its shortage during the virus outbreak signified the “fragility of modern medicine and public health”.

As demand for the face coverings surged, so did their production. According to Emergen Research, a market research and consulting company, the global face mask market size was $76.72 billion in 2020 and was expected to register a revenue compound annual growth rate of 5.2 per cent during the forecast period of 2021-2028. For the global reusable face mask market, the MarketStudyReport published in September this year said the size would surpass $7 billion by 2027. It said the market was $1.7 billion last year when the world was plagued by the pandemic. Data on the market size varies. For example, a study by Research And Markets, published in October this year, estimated the global face mask market size to be $6.87 billion in 2020. It forecast the market to grow to $7.81 billion this year and projected it to grow to $15.1 billion by 2026 at a CAGR of 14.03 per cent.

Face mask’s use rose exponentially as soon as the health authorities in Bangladesh announced the detection of Covid-19 cases and death in March last year, triggering panic buying and pushing up the costs much higher than anytime before. Face masks were usually imported to meet the local demand before the pandemic but now, local producers are meeting the demand and exporting the item.

The world's top source of trade statistics, the Trade Data Monitor (TDM), said Bangladesh exported masks worth $95.9 million between January and November last year.

TDM said the global mask market size was around $65 billion during that period, heavily dominated by China with an 80 per cent share.

Bangladesh mainly exported surgical and KN95 masks worth around $40 million to the USA at that time. According to TDM, the exports to the US accounted for over 41 per cent of the country’s total shipment while Germany was Bangladesh’s second-biggest importing country. Canada held the third position with a $7.7 million import during the period.

Manufacturers say an estimated 2.5 million pieces of surgical masks are sold daily in Bangladesh but there is no concrete data on the market size although some stakeholders put the number at around Tk 400 crore, without offering any hard evidence.

Until July this year, the Directorate General of Drug Administration issued no-objection certificates to 35 local companies to produce surgical masks. DGDA Director Md Ayub Hossain said the local companies could fully meet the local demand.

One of the reasons for this revolutionary change is the government’s move to waive import tax on raw materials needed to produce masks.

As the pandemic gripped Bangladesh, the price of a piece of surgical mask shot up to Tk 20. A single KN95 mask cost Tk 250-300 and N95 mask prices soared above Tk 1,000.

As the demands rose, masks started becoming available at all places, from pharmacies to roadside stalls to footpath shops. Small and medium traders started bringing their goods to the Babubazar Bridge area. The place below the bridge has turned into a large makeshift market of face masks, providing livelihoods to thousands of people. Here one can buy a surgical mask for Tk 0.7 and a KN95 mask for Tk 20-30.

Questions remain over the quality of these masks flooding the local market but they have proven to be lifesaver for many like Shahjalal, who was forced to return home after losing his job in Saudi Arabia during the pandemic. “It really helped me out during the desperate time,” he said, adding that he hoped to return to the kingdom.

Traders from various districts buy these masks and supply them to local pharmacies and shops. Earlier this year, stakeholders said they were selling masks worth around Tk 25 lakh every day, which means the monthly sales would have been around Tk 7 crore.

Low-income people also found alternative employment in the form of hawking masks. At present, a piece of surgical mask sells for up to Tk 5, depending on where you are buying it.

Don’t just throw away your mask

Coronavirus vaccines, developed and distributed at an unprecedented speed, and the waning infection rates are encouraging more people to stop wearing masks, contrary to advice from health experts.

The World Health Organization says masks are a key measure to suppress transmission and save lives. They should be used as part of a comprehensive approach including physical distancing, avoiding crowded, closed and close-contact settings, good ventilation, cleaning hands, covering sneezes and coughs, and more.

Masks can be used for either protection of healthy persons or to prevent onward transmission.

People in Bangladesh became serious about following health rules, including wearing masks, as fatalities and new cases surged but they showed reluctance as soon as the situation improved. Even in cities, more people are shunning masks. The situation is far worse in areas outside the cities.

Health experts recommend wearing masks even after inoculation since many people in the country are still not fully vaccinated and the risk of the situation worsening remains.

Bangladesh launched a countrywide vaccination drive in February this year. The country has so far confirmed 15,71,434 cases and 27,904 deaths. So far, 18.8 per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated.

Some may wonder if masks are here to stay. The answer is complicated. But for now, keep your mask where it belongs.

The writer is Deputy News Editor at The Business Post