Condoms sales are down because the pandemic is affecting people sex lives

Condom manufacturer Durex say sales are down because the Coronavirus lockdown is having a toll on the number of intimate occasions," reports The Guardian.

The demand for rubbers will probably bounce back after the pandemic subsides, but manufacturers are concerned that current latex shortages could mean supplies won't meet the pent-up demands for condoms in the near future.

[Durex manufacturer] Reckitt Benckiser said it expected demand for condoms to recover when the lockdown ends, and said its condom factories would not scale back production. [Laxman Narasimhan, the chief executive of Reckitt Benckiser] added that in China, the slowdown in sex during its lockdown had recovered and condom demand was back at the same levels as before the crisis.

There have been concerns of a global condom shortage because strict lockdown rules in Malaysia, one of world's top rubber producers and a major source of condoms, had made it difficult for condom factories to operate.

Karex, the world's largest condom producer which makes one in five of all condoms, has warned of a global condom shortage after closing three of its factories. The firm said it expects to produce 200m fewer condoms than usual from mid-March to mid-April.

Photo by Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition on Unsplash