Virus fears in Hong Kong spark queues for masks

Dozens of people queued outside a drugstore in Hong Kong's town of Tsuen Wan on Tuesday to buy face masks.

Face mask sales across Hong Kong have sharply increased since eight cases of a new, deadly coronavirus were confirmed in the city.

Residents and tourists from mainland China on Tuesday lined up to get hold of a box of masks or alcohol gel, forming long queues outside pharmacies.

Masks in some pharmacies in Mong Kok, Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay, the famous shopping districts in Hong Kong, were out of stock.

Some shops even charged as much as 25 US dollars for a box of 50 surgical masks, and about 8 US dollars for a N95 respirator.

But one drugstore in Tsuen Wan, Unison Cosmetic, decided to distribute free face mask in this difficult time.