Story By: John Feng, Sub-Editor:  Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report

A Chinese man who called police and other emergency services 113 times because he could not buy a mask was arrested and finally given one to wear – in jail.

Mr Zhou, from the city of Ningxiang in Central China’s Hunan Province, allegedly drunkenly abused government workers over the phone as he called up to five times a day for three weeks.

The resident was reportedly unable to buy a mask to protect himself during the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, with pharmacies out of stock and manufacturers working overtime to ensure enough supply for front-line medical workers.

Between 18th January and 8th February, Mr Zhou called the police, ambulance service and government hotline no fewer than 113 times in order to enquire about mask stock.

He continued to call – often while intoxicated – despite being told he would be contacted as soon as more masks became available, the police said.

Authorities with his local Donghutang Police Station were finally forced to detain him on 9th February when he allegedly made several more abusive calls to emergency services, wasting precious time and resources.

Mr Zhou, who was given masks to wear while in detention, was jailed for five days and fined 500 RMB (55 GBP) for his public order offence.

Demand for surgical masks, especially the more effective N95 respirators, remains at an all-time high as the disease – named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization – ravages mainland China.

China has recorded 1,770 deaths and more than 70,000 confirmed cases to date, with a further five deaths occurring in Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and France.

Chinese citizens living abroad or on holiday are now buying up large quantities of stock and sending them to relatives back home.

China’s ministry of industry had previously reported that, at full capacity, up to 20 million masks could be manufactured every day.

Daily demand, however, is reportedly between 50 and 60 million.

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