Tim Walton
COVID-19 has caused for worldwide factories shutdown and the condom business was included. Malaysia’s Karex Bhd, produces about 1 of every 5 condoms made in the world. It has not produced a single condom from any of their 3 factories in over a week, resulting already in a 100 million condom shortfall, which includes brands marketed internationally under names such as ‘Durex‘.
The company, which has been under government ordered shutdown, has been given permission to restart production at 50% capacity Friday.
“It will take time to jumpstart factories and we will struggle to keep up with demand at half capacity,” Chief Executive Goh Miah Kiat said in an interview with Reuters. “We are going to see a global shortage of condoms everywhere, which is going to be scary,” he added. “My concern is that for a lot of humanitarian programs deep down in Africa, the shortage will not just be two weeks or a month. That shortage can run into months.”
Condoms are primarily made in Malaysia, China, India and Thailand, all of which have seen spikes and increased regulations and shut downs amidst COVID-19.
