Vehicles carrying sanitary napkins, diapers blocked as inessential

Leading sanitary napkin maker Diana Unicharm told VnExpress Wednesday that only Dong Nai Province in the south regards sanitary napkins and diapers as essential goods that could be transported amid the Covid-19 outbreak.

It warned that if the supply chain is congested or broken, there could soon be shortages of sanitary napkins and diapers, affecting people’s health.

According to Nielsen surveys, some 30 million women use sanitary napkins at the rate of 16 for a period and 90-120 diapers are used every month for some three million infants. Nearly 1.4 million adults also have to use diapers.

Last week, bottled and canned drinks and milk could not be delivered to retail outlets because some localities consider them inessential goods.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has said the entire country should have a uniform definition for essential goods and services.