Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chandigarh among other cities, install vending machines for face masks, sanitisers and gloves

COVID-19 cases are rising across the country. To contain the spread of the virus, people have been asked to cover their faces and mouth with masks, use sanitisers and wear gloves. To ensure that people are not running out of either of these safety essentials, vending machines providing the medical protection kit - masks, sanitisers and gloves - has been installed at several places across India. Station Manager Deepak Kumar at the Chandigarh Railway Station told news agency ANI that the machine is providing masks and hand sanitisers at low costs to commuters. Commuters can get two types of N-95 masks along with gloves from the machine. The station manager said that hand sanitisers are also available in two quantities with the 250ml bottle costing Rs 100. In Mumbai, a vending machine providing these medical essentials is placed at Dadar Central railway station. A report by India Today said that the coronavirus vending machine has different types of face masks ranging from one-time use to N-95 masks. There are hand sanitisers that cost between Rs 50 to Rs 100. It also has free size gloves. The railways is planning to install such vending machines at several other railway stations as well, including at few other suburban railway stations in Mumbai. Earlier in May, Times Now reported that Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu has installed vending machines for people to easily purchase face masks. Two such machines have been installed, one in front of the municipality office and the other at the Amma canteen located in Rajaji Park. The machines have been installed after the prices of face masks were increased, making it difficult for the people of lower sections of the society to afford them. Vending machines have also been installed at airports to ensure that commuters travelling in flights to other cities have masks, sanitisers, and protection gloves. According to reports, a fully automated and contact-less vending machine has been installed at the departure area of the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, Karnataka earlier this month. As per a report by Banglore Mirror, the machine is stocked with essentials such as four-layer designer protection masks, 100 ml hand sanitisers, pen-shaped hand sanitisers and nitrile protection gloves. The products are priced between Rs 50 and Rs 150. Passengers can pay for the purchase using any digital payment mode. The vending machine has an automatic sanitiser dispenser to let buyers sanitise their hands before and after making the purchase. India has so far reported over 12 lakh 41 thousand confirmed cases of COVID-19. The deadly virus has claimed lives of nearly 30 thousand people in the country.