People are complaining about overpriced face masks despite an assurance by Chatchai Saksilapachai, deputy director-general of the Department of Internal Trade, that there is enough stock for the next four months.

Netizens have expressed concerns about the price mostly via Twitter, in which the top hashtags in Thailand were about the coronavirus outbreak.

Some claimed that the price of six packs of face masks had reached Bt7,980, forcing consumers to order the masks via e-commerce platforms.

This is not the first time that the price of face masks has become a hot topic. Just a few weeks ago, vendors had raised the price when PM2.5 dust particles led to concerns about air quality.

Boonyarit Kalayanamit, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, said that such retail behaviour violates the Price of Goods and Services Act and were liable to be fined up to Bt10,000 or a seven-year imprisonment.

He asked people to use the 1596 hotline and Provincial Commercial Offices to report overpricing of face masks.