Chinese authorities have cracked down on price-gouging vendors who have been charging up to six times the regular amount for protective masks as the country deals with the coronavirus outbreak.

Key points: People in China are queuing in large numbers to get protective masks

People in China are queuing in large numbers to get protective masks Boxes of the masks have gone for as much as $181, when they regularly retail for around $30

Boxes of the masks have gone for as much as $181, when they regularly retail for around $30 One store has been fined 3 million yuan for marking up its price dramatically

One store in the Chinese capital will be fined 3 million yuan ($639,850) for hiking the price of masks by almost six times the online rate amid the virus outbreak, the Beijing municipal market regulator said on Wednesday.

The outbreak, which started in the central city of Wuhan late last year, has killed over 120 people, with over 4,000 infected in China.

An administrative penalty notice has been issued to the Beijing Jimin Kangtai Pharmacy for sharply raising the price of N95 masks, the regulator said in a statement on its website.

The store raised the price of a box of 3M-brand masks to 850 yuan ($181) while the online price was just 143 yuan ($30), state television said.

Since Thursday, the regulator has investigated 31 price violation cases as it boosted supervision of prices of protective gear and punished illegal activities, such as hoarding or fabricating information about price hikes.

In the commercial capital of Shanghai, the municipal market regulator has also ordered the closure of a drug store that sold sub-standard masks, according to the city government.

Queues for masks are growing outside stores but those who are looking to buy them are concerned for their own health due to fears of coming into contact with someone suffering from coronavirus.

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"I left my place before 8:00 in the morning. I came by bus but I don't think it's good to queue here because it's a large crowd here. I am worried about cross-infection but I have no choice but queue here," local resident Zhang Dahua said.

There had also been rumours of food shortages but supermarkets in Shanghai showed a good supply of fruits, eggs and vegetables.

Hubei province and the city of Wuhan continue to be in lockdown to avoid further spread of the virus, although both Japan and the United States have managed to evacuate their citizens from the area.

It was not immediately known whether they were infected because coronavirus symptoms, including cough and fever and in severe cases pneumonia, are similar to many other illnesses.

On Wednesday Australia's Federal Government said it would evacuate some Australians who were stuck in Hubei province, sending them to Christmas Island for quarantine before being cleared to return to the Australian mainland.

That news came as Victoria and Queensland confirmed more cases of the potentially deadly disease, taking the total number of confirmed cases in Australia to seven.

ABC/Reuters