Virus Drives Record Sales of Sanitary Products at Japan Drug Stores

(Bloomberg) -- Japanese sellers of masks, toilet paper and other sanitary products are turning out to be rare beneficiaries of the coronavirus.

Sales of masks, alcohol wipes and other health care products jumped by about 47% at Japanese drug stores last month, a record in trade ministry data going back to 2014. Outlays on daily necessities including toilet paper surged 31%, also a record.

Last month’s panic buying came as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed increasing concern over the virus that led to school closures and a call for big events to be canceled or delayed. Since then, the number of confirmed infections hasn’t spiked as quickly in Japan as elsewhere and officials have stopped short of calling for lock downs, but the country is on edge.

The hoarding of masks and toilet paper is one sign of the anxiety.

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