We had been warned of a global shortage, however, new data from condom maker Durex has shown demand for prophylactics has fallen off a cliff given the planet’s current state of lockdown.
But it’s apparently not all bad news for those associated with those in the intimacy industry with news out of the US that extra-marital affairs site Ashley Madison is booming as married people revert to cyber affairs to stave off the boredom off lockdown.
According to data out of the US, some 30 per cent of female users and 14 per cent of male Ashley Madison members admitted to having virtual sex with partners outside of their primary relationship during lockdown.
When it came to condom usage, Durex revealed that the countries hardest hit by coronavirus – namely the UK and Italy – had seen a sharp drop in sales.
However, it noted that sales in China had begun to pick up as restrictions had been lifted.
A company spokesperson noted: “Intimate occasions are going down, and that is a manifestation of anxiety. What you see is this virus is having a toll on the number of intimate occasions.”
However, the lockdown has apparently seen off a global condom shortage, as the world’s biggest supplier, Malaysia, shut down factories amid CV-19.
Malaysian-based Karex is the world’s biggest condom maker, supplying 20 per cent of the global market. It has reported it has made 200 million less frangers over the months of March and April.
Karex CEO chief God Miah Kiat commenting: “It will take time to jump-start factories and we will struggle to keep up with demand at half capacity.
“We are going to see a global shortage of condoms everywhere, which is going to be scary. My concern is that for a lot of humanitarian programmes deep down in Africa, the shortage will not just be two weeks or a month. That shortage can run into months,” he said.
