"You are blacklisted as a customer. We will not sell you a mask".
Author: Jona Kaso
The reason for this negative response from one of at least 35 "companies" that offer masks through Facebook and Instagram were two questions. I only got the answer for one.
"From next week, masks will be mandatory to leave the house" - this was the announcement in the post on Facebook.
The answer to where they got this news came immediately: "from the people themselves".
Two hours later this notice (which has appeared as a "sponsored" post for a period of more than 10 days) was removed from the post, but the question that blacklisted me remained unanswered, in fact it was followed by a question other: "Are you doing the investigator?"
-Can you tell me who is the manufacturer/importer and any other additional information about the confirmation statement?
This is when I became an unwanted customer.
For 7 weeks now, consumers have been bombarded on social media with offers for masks and warnings that wearing them will be mandatory.
From a non-exhaustive check on the most used social networks in Albania, Facebook and Instagram, we counted 35 "companies" that offer masks.
Active sellers in the online market
https://www.facebook.com/E2M-Kozmetik-101310374839948/?ref=br_rs https://www.instagram.com/maskatiranecorona/ https://www.instagram.com/maskaushtarake/ https://www.instagram.com/maska_me_filter/ https://www.instagram.com/maska_online__/ https://www.instagram.com/maska_mont/ https://www.instagram.com/maska__handmade/ https://www.instagram.com/_maska_onlines/ https://www.facebook.com/Maska-me-shumic-102213968116366/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP- https://www.facebook.com/stiliyt.official/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP- https://www.facebook.com/amtekstil.al/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP- https://www.facebook.com/maskapermbrojtjebakteriale/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP- https://www.facebook.com/MASKA-Online-106993640966583/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP- https://www.facebook.com/marseyunderwear/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP-R&eid=ARD- https://www.facebook.com/Maska-te-certifikuara-104733504532116/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP- https://www.instagram.com/ veizitekstil/ https://www.instagram.com/maska_te_certifikuara/ https://www.instagram.com/castle__store1/ https://www.instagram.com/maska_ime_1/ https://www.instagram.com/covid19_maskaime/ https://www.instagram.com/albania_market/ https://www.instagram.com/maska_mbrojtese/ https://www.instagram.com/maska_me_porosii/ https://www.instagram.com/masks_albania/ https://www.instagram.com/maska_mbrojtese.al/ https://www.instagram.com/maska_by_rovi/ https://www.instagram.com/maskacovid19_/ https://www.instagram.com/maska_.covid19/ https://www.instagram.com/maska_kunder_covid19/ https://www.instagram.com/maska__mbrojtese/ https://www.instagram.com/maska.mbrojtese1/ https://www.instagram.com/tirana_onlinestore/ https://www.facebook.com/Rrobaqepsi-Caja-381780115984/ https://www.facebook.com/Art-Zanat-Tradite-870147103015650/ https://www.facebook.com/Zonasport-2313805155371469/ https://www.instagram.com/maskaatelie/
Where are they produced and, above all, who gives a guarantee for buying masks online?
Based on the law on the right to inform the public with official documents, we turned to the State Market Supervision Inspectorate with a single question: Have they exercised control over the masks that are on the market these weeks?
This institution, in the field of its competences, has the supervision and control of non-food products that are placed on the Albanian market and become available to consumers, in accordance with law 10489/2011 "On the marketing and supervision of the market of non-food products", which includes and personal protective equipment, in simple words masks widely used these days.
In its response, this inspectorate clarifies that the only protective equipment (masks) included in its competences are PPE (Personal Protection Masks), strictly regulated in this global pandemic period by European Directive 2016/425, Decision of the Council of Ministers 1053/2015 "On personal protection equipment" and the Law on trading and supervision, while medical masks, regulated in detail by other EU directives, are the competence of the State Health Inspectorate.
Even this institution itself admits that currently the chain of production and supply of personal protective equipment is under heavy pressure, and for this reason, based on the recommendations of the relevant authorities of the European Union, it has allowed the production, even in an artisanal way, and marketing of these devices, suspending quality controls during their production phase by domestic operators, but continuing strict quality controls on imported products, with a special focus on products intended for use by medical staff.
In this situation, the responsibility for the quality of the products used by the consumer rests on the producers, who are encouraged, but not obliged, to follow the minimum quality standards published on the official website of ISHMT, and the consumer himself, who assumes the risk of their use, since by this institution itself, these handicraft products are classified as a "minimum safety barrier" against the spread of COVID-19.
Albania is part of Europol for online trade controls and so far we have not seen control notices or measures from state authorities for all sites that trade online.
Masks are sold in pharmacies and supermarkets. With the exception of a few cases in the pharmacy, it is not known who produces the masks and who certifies them.
"The pharmacy lacks information regarding the categories of masks, the difference between masks that are under the category of medical devices and those that are Personal Protective Equipment, (PPP) the declaration of conformity, the CE marking" - says Anila Kasmi Jani, expert in trade legislation and product market surveillance.
In the pharmacy, trading seems safer than on the Internet, at least you have the answer in front of you, but still questions about the safety of the product remain.
"In quite a few cases in the EU countries, cases of forged certificates from mask manufacturers have been found, which do not meet the essential safety requirements, and as a result, they have been returned and not placed on the European market." - says Anila Jani
The fact is that in the capital you see more and more people wearing masks.
"I use the mask to protect myself and others around me" - said a citizen - "I feel safer".
The price of masks varies from 100 to 800 lek
Disposable and multi-use masks are available. A mask purchased at a pharmacy in Tirana at the price of 300 lek is accompanied by a printed letter with some advice.
Function: antibacterial, anti-dust, anti-smog
Application: in open and closed premises
Composition: 100% cotton fabric on both sides with antibacterial filter on the inside.
Maintenance: machine wash at 90 degrees
Sanitization: spray with ethyl alcohol or iron with steam before placing on the face...
Epidemiologist Alimehmeti says that masks are only disposable.
"There are no masks that are used several times. If they are, their quality is the same as what you can produce yourself at home. Since these are not medical masks, since medical masks are always single-use, then these masks are not certified by anyone as they are not subject to medical device regulations."
The truth is that most of the masks available in the market and online today claim to be very useful.
Is there any danger in using these masks?
"The risks are unknown, as they are unstudied masks. Whatever efficiency they report, they are speculative values oriented only towards sales. No official body guarantees these masks." - says Alimehmeti
Some citizens have preferred to solve the problem themselves by preparing it in the conditions of the house, some refer to experience, some lessons they receive online. For masks, the "Achilles heel" remains filtration.
"The filtration test is very simple. After putting on the mask, hold a lighted lighter in front of your face and blow hard. If the flame of the lighter does not move, the mask is effective" - says Alimehmeti
The important point is that homemade masks can be reused after washing in the washing machine at least 60 degrees and for at least 40 minutes.
"The advice is to make 4-5 such masks when you go out, and change them every time they get dirty, wet or you think they are dirty. In these cases, wash your hands before removing the mask, be careful not to touch your eyes, nose and mouth, remove the mask and put it in a plastic bag, wash your hands again and put on the other mask." - advises epidemiologist Alimehmeti.
On television, the awareness campaign against COVID-19 directs the public:
"Use the mask only if you are sick, or suspect that those around you are sick"
Even today, the World Health Organization, on its website, does not advise mass use, leaving this to the competence of local authorities.
Both specialists and authorities have not been clear whether masks should or should not be used massively. The fact is that at the moment masks are the most demanded commodity.
Can masks be produced in Albania?
If you trust the communication with online "companies", we already have factories producing in Tirana, Elbasan, Durrës... But experts call for caution.
"Manufacturers must be supported by professional staff with the technical and scientific knowledge to design masks that meet mandatory essential safety requirements." says Anila Jani, and adds that there is an influx of requests for the certification of masks from European bodies that are limited in number.
We contacted a total of 28 online Facebook and Instagram pages that sell masks online, with an interest in buying masks, where they came from, and the question of whether the masks were certified. Of these sellers, 6 did not give any answer, 10 of them stated that the masks they were selling were certified and 12 of them did not have any certification.
One of the responses received from the companies, which claimed that there is still no official certification on the masks being sold, states:
"Hello, thank you for your interest and for your question. Then, the masks are handcrafted locally by our employees. They are not certified because we do not know of an authority in Albania that certifies them, as they are not medical. The masks are cotton material (not canvas) with several layers and a layer that does not allow the penetration of sprays, we have built them with many layers for this reason.
To our knowledge, the Minister of Health has also stated that they will allow processed masks made of cloth and not the medical ones that should be available for the medical staff."
Just a few days after we contacted various online sellers and asked them if the masks were certified or not, we noticed that some of these sites had changed their profile and stopped selling masks online.
Beyond the fear of buying products that do not meet the standards necessary to protect the health of their users, another worrying element is the fact that almost none of the online sellers of these products have published commercial information about their identification. It is almost impossible to prove the commercial status of these companies, their expertise in the production and marketing of these specific products. The question, what assures the citizen about the quality of the purchased product remains unanswered.
You see more and more people wearing masks on the streets. We too are ready to buy a mask anywhere, in the pharmacy, in the market, on Instagram and on Facebook, only on one condition: we want answers to the question:
-Can you tell me who is the manufacturer/importer?
In the absence of information from the sellers, this answer can also be given by the State Market Surveillance Inspectorate, Customs, the National Drug Equipment Agency and the State Health Inspectorate!
*Main photo taken from one of the Facebook pages
