GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, N.J. — The Camden County Division of Weights and Measures is currently conducting additional inspections for price gouging on items such as hand sanitizer, disinfectants, toiletries, bottled water, and more throughout Camden County, according to a press release.
“The Department of Health and Human Services immediately escalated the number of spot checks and inspections for price gouging in response to the emergency declaration,” Freeholder Carmen Rodriguez, liaison to the Department of Health and Human Services, said . “As the size of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States has grown, the demand for cleaning supplies and hand sanitizers has increased exponentially. Though stock has been limited during many of our early checks, we will continue to ensure that Camden County residents are not being scammed or taken advantage of.”
The added inspections were sparked by Governor Murphy’s announcement of a state of emergency on Monday, March 9, related to coronavirus (COVID-19).
The Division of Weights and Measures routinely performs spot checks to ensure that the price paid at the register matches what is shown on shelves and tags. Inspectors also inspect scales, meters, scanning equipment, and package products using highly accurate equipment to ensure that consumers receive exactly what they’re paying for. These checks occur at a wide range of businesses including supermarkets, gasoline stations, packing plants, and lumber yards.
“Our residents rely on our inspectors for the peace of mind that when they pay for a gallon of gas, a pound of meat, or a yard of cloth, that they are getting what they paid for,” Rodriguez said. “Fortunately, we have not identified any price gouging on these critical items during our first day of increased spot checks. We will continue to vigilantly seek out any establishment hoping to prey on desperate consumers in the days and weeks ahead.”
If you have a problem with a weights and measures issue, contact the Camden County Department of Health & Human Services, Division of Weights & Measures at (856) 374-6001. For consumer affairs complaints, contact the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs at 1-800-242-5846.
In other county coronavirus related news, Camden County Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli, Jr., in a statement, said that the one person confirmed positive case of the coronavirus in Camden County “is doing very well, and his condition has been upgraded.”
“The seven exposures that this patient had have been self-quarantined at this time and have been asymptomatic,” Cappelli, said.
Cappelli stated that the county will continue to work to fight the virus.
“Moving forward, we will continue to tirelessly work to ensure the health and welfare of our residents and combat this virus by any means possible, which includes limiting social interactions by rescheduling special events for later dates, accelerating sanitizing and cleaning in our buildings, and ensuring that all employee travel out of the country or state has been cancelled,” Cappelli said.
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