The South African Pharmacy Council has urged local pharmacies to remove their barriers on their condoms shelves. The rubbers have been declared essentials goods by the government during the expanded lockdown.
The council, in their statement, issued last night, revealed that it has been inundated with calls from some communities, that pharmacies were refusing to sell condoms to their customers stating that they were prohibited goods under the lockdown regulations imposed by the government to stop the spread of COVID-19.
“The SAPC has received confirmation from the Department of Health (DoH) that condoms are indeed an essential commodity for sexual reproductive health as they aid in the prevention of sexually transmitted illnesses (STIs), HIV, and unplanned pregnancies. We, therefore, urge all responsible pharmacists and pharmacy owners to immediately resume making condoms available to members of the public in line with the DoH efforts to encourage the prevention of infections during this period of national lockdown,” the statement reads.
The call by SAPC to pharmacies to open up condom shelves comes after citizens complained that they were being barred from accessing and purchasing condoms.
The lockdown regulations have also barred the purchases of alcohol, cigarettes and other items such as clothing.
