Mercury Drug runs out of face masks amid ashfall from Taal

Mercury Drug Corp. on Monday announced that they had temporarily run out of face masks given the high demand for the item following the unrest at Taal Volcano.

"Due to the influx of demand on face masks, we temporarily ran out of stock. Mercury Drug is coordinating with suppliers regarding inventory replenishment," the drugstore said in an online post.

Demand for face masks, particularly the N95 masks, had spiked amid the ashfall brought about by the phreatic eruption at Taal Volcano.

Moving forward, Mercury Drug said that once new stocks arrived, areas near Taal Volcano would be prioritized for replenishment

"Mercury Drug does not hoard face masks. Prices will definitely not increase," it said.

Alert Level 4 had been raised since the phreatic eruption at Taal, signifying that a hazardous eruption was "imminent."

According to the latest reports from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the ashfall had affected various areas in Metro Manila. — Jon Viktor Cabuenas/DVM, GMA News