Vending machines sell surgical masks amid virus pandemic

The distribution of masks through vending machines has lightened the workload of pharmacists who were spending precious time distributing the gear to people. The surgical masks are purchased through the Name-Based Mask Distribution System amid the COVID-19 epidemic.

Taipei: People queue outside Taipei City's Xinyi District Health Center. But they are not waiting to see a doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

They're here to use a vending machine. Taipei has started selling face masks in automated machines like this.

The method lightens the workload of pharmacists who were spending precious time distributing the gear to people.

The surgical masks are purchased through the Name-Based Mask Distribution System amid the COVID-19 epidemic.

"There have to be sets of equipment at certain places to help us implement the Name-Based Mask Distribution System and determine who can buy," says Lu Hsin-ke, Commissioner at Taipei City Government's Department of Information Technology.

"When a buyer is certified, allowed to buy and has paid, the buyer has to obtain the masks. Automatic mask vending machines can implement this whole procedure to make it even simpler with less or no workforce and more efficiency. They can also lower the risks of infection via human contact."

The Department of Information and Technology is in charge of putting up the mask vending machines. It has taken three weeks of intensive work with private sector companies to get the machines in place.

They were launched on Saturday 11 April.

Neil Lee is Chief Information Officer at Yallvend Co. Ltd, one of the private companies involved in the project.

He says the machines have sold 2,500 masks in just two days.

"Each machine is able to serve two people within one minute. Therefore, each machine can serve 1,100 customers a day. Taipei City Government has set a goal of serving 1,200 people in total (at each machine). Now, each machine's performance is exceeding what we have been expecting. Their speed is really fast."

Lee expects demand for the machines to continue to stay high, even after the pandemic slows down.

"People will still be aware of the disease and protect themselves with a mask. Therefore, we will put the vending machines at traffic centres, or hospitals so that people can buy masks," he says.

Cheng, a Taipei City housewife, finds the vending machines helpful.

"With these machines, we don't have to line up in clinics (pharmacies). When it is your turn, you just have to insert a card, and you can buy your masks," she says.

Each Taiwanese resident with a National Health Insurance card is allowed to buy a set of nine masks every 14 days from these vending machines or pharmacies.

The vending machines are part of a strategy by the authorities in Taiwan to reduce human contact between people and make surgical masks more accessible, while also observing the rationing policy.

(With inputs from AP)