As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 29th of June, 2020, due to the new circumstances and the mandatory wearing of protective masks in public institutions and transport, the City of Zagreb, Zaprešić and Velika Gorica are currently among the cities that have decided to distribute protective masks to pensioners free of charge amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The sharp rise in the number of those infected with the new coronavirus warns of the importance of responsibility towards others. The focus is on protective masks, which makes their demand grow day by day, according to a report from RTL.
We have to use them in public transport, and many continue to use them when out on the street, in cafes and in shops. Protective masks have become our first barrier against the coronavirus infection. Increasing demand has also caused prices to rise on the world market, including here at home on the Croatian market.
The retail price of masks doesn’t depend on pharmacies at all. The price was once somewhere around 50 lipa. When the coronavirus epidemic started, masks suddenly became a very desirable commodity. The most expensive plain mask was then around 19 kuna.
According to a survey conducted among city and private pharmacies, the price of a disposable surgical mask ranges between 5 and 6 kuna per piece in city pharmacies, and in private pharmacies – from 3 kuna and 60 lipa to 7 kuna and 17 lipa. If we were to calculate the average price of a mask on a monthly basis for a family of four, with each member using one protective mask per day, the price would be 660 kuna per month. A price not many can necessarily afford.
Due to the new circumstances and the mandatory wearing of protective masks in public institutions and transport, the City of Zagreb, Zaprešić and Velika Gorica are currently among the cities that have decided to distribute two protective masks to pensioners free of charge.
For more on the coronavirus pandemic in relation to Croatia, follow our dedicated section.
