The Competition and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC) has warned traders against promoting their products as cure or treatment for coronavirus.
The Commission issued the warning in a statement released on Wednesday and signed by executive director James Kaphale.
According to Kaphale, some unscrupulous traders and companies have been taking advantage of the coronavirus outbreak to promote certain products as cure or treatment for the Covid-19 despite health authorities saying that there is no medically approved drug for the disease.
He noted that the Competition and Fair Trading Act (CFTA) prohibits conduct that is likely to mislead the public as to the nature, price, availability, suitability for a given purpose of any product or service.
“Any trader or merchant found representing that their product can cure the coronavirus will be violating the Competition and Fair Trading Act (CFTA) and the Consumer Protection Act (CPA). Likewise, any merchant found pricing excessively will be infringing the law,” said Kaphale.
He warned that the commission will impose stiff sanctions against any person found engaging in deceptive practices or any other practices such as excessive pricing in the supply of materials intended to fight the coronavirus.
The coronavirus which started in China last year has killed over 8,700 people while more than 200,000 cases have been recorded globally.
