Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): Bahrain Mirror received information that the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) supplied markets with poor quality masks which were sold at high prices on Thursday (April 9, 2020).

A private source explained that the BDF called on certain pharmacies and supermarkets to buy masks from them, claiming they are certified medical masks. They were sold to pharmacy owners and merchants at 170 fils per mask.

This occurred immediately after the Interior Ministry issued a decision obliging citizens to wear masks at all times in public places and shops authorized to receive customers. The decision included a 5-dinar fine imposed on violators, to be collected immediately, or the offender would be referred to prosecution in the event he/she failed to pay the amount.

The Bahrain Defence Force managed to sell a million masks to traders, claiming they are medical masks, when they were, in fact, of poor quality and offer no protection.

The decision issued by the Interior Ministry and the sales made by the BDF coincided with a decision by the Ministry of Commerce to repeal resolution 32 of 2020 that specifies the prices of masks, leaving the matter of setting the price in hands of sellers in pharmacies and other shops.

With this decision, the Ministry of Commerce has not only opened the door for greedy traders to exploit people, as the price of a mask reached 240 fils, but also allowed the sale of poor quality, unusable masks.

The BDF has succeeded in getting rid of their stock of lousy masks by selling them to people obliged to buy them under the obligation of a strict decision. That was the game.

As usual, even in the most severe times of crisis, the victims are the citizens and residents whose money has been lost on unusable masks.

Arabic Version