PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th March, 2020) A man who sold expired masks and hand sanitizers on the internet amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has been detained in France, the national police said on Wednesday.
"The vigilance of gendarmes made it possible to put an end to the fraud that could have led to real [public] health problems," the police tweeted.
During the searches, police seized 9,400 masks, 3,300 gloves and nearly 100 bottles of antiseptic gel of different sizes, according to Le Parisien newspaper. All the products - which the man sold on Le Bon Coin advertising website - were out of date.
In early March, French authorities requisitioned all stockpiles of face masks over the virus outbreak to distribute them among medical workers and those infected. Now, a prescription is required to buy a mask at a drugstore.
As of today, France has nearly 1,784 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 33 deaths.
