If you must, here’s where to buy masks in Ukraine

They might not do any good beyond giving the wearer a false sense of security. Nonetheless, masked people are everywhere in Kyiv amid the national quarantine to combat the COVID-19 global pandemic, under way in Ukraine until at least April 24.

Although the World Health Organization, or WHO, says that most people don’t need to wear masks, Kyiv authorities contributed to the mask-wearing craze by requiring people to don them on public transport. Then private businesses – apartment owners, groceries and taxi drivers – got in on the act by posting signs or telling people they couldn’t enter unless they wore masks, even though the government adopted no legal requirement to do so.

So, useful or useless, or somewhere in between, people have been on a mad scramble to buy masks. As a result, masks are currently almost impossible to find in Kyiv pharmacies. And even when drug stores find ways to restock their supplies, the shelves get emptied quickly.

Here’s some places to find them:

• The 911 pharmacy chain offers medical masks for Hr 15 or 20. They can also be bought in packages of 50 items, which cost Hr 750 or 1,000. The products can be ordered online at www.apteka911.com.ua and either picked up at one of their stores, or delivered by post services or their courier.
• Another option is to buy masks from small retailers on the e-commerce websites like www.prom.ua or www.olx.ua. All kinds can be found there. They can cost anything from Hr 7 to Hr 400 and more. Orders from these websites can be delivered through post services like Nova Poshta and Ukrposhta. However, the quality of these masks might be questionable, as retailers sell them with no licenses. It is also not recommended to send any prepayment to them to avoid becoming a scam victim. It is better to choose the option of paying for the package upon arrival.

People are stocking up, despite the World Health Organization’s best efforts to unmask myths. 

WHO says people should wear masks if they are sneezing or coughing, when showing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, as well as when caring for someone with an infection.

The organization asked the public to refrain from buying masks just for the sake of doing so. Such purchases drive up the price and could leave those who really need them – like medical care workers – with no protection to be found. 

“Wearing medical masks when not indicated may cause unnecessary cost, procurement burden and create a false sense of security that can lead to neglecting other essential measures such as hand hygiene practices,” reads the organization’s pamphlet on the mask using.

Apart from those warnings, the medical masks, whose filter material traps viruses, are not impenetrable protection shields. They will only be effective if combined with regular hand-washing and if replaced often. They also must be put on and off and disposed of properly.

Another effective mask type is N95 respirators. But they are very difficult to breathe in, especially when sick. As for the cloth (cotton or gauze) masks, the WHO says they are not recommended under any circumstance.

Inventive Kyiv residents are sporting all kinds of masks these days – cotton, gauze and even polyurethane masks designed to protect from air pollution, but not viruses. Those unable to afford or find masks, make their own.

A mix of practicality and psychological security is at play here.

Anxious and fearful of the new unknown infection, people believe they can get the situation under control by taking some action – and putting on a mask fits the bill. Others simply wear masks to get where they want to go – in a building, restaurant or taxi – and if wearing one calms down the owner or driver, so be it.