After reading about people preying on wildfire victims seeking rental housing in the aftermath of the October 2017 firestorm, it probably shouldn’t have been surprising to see the words “price gouging” in headlines about COVID-19 tests. After the fires, some rents doubled overnight. Now, with supplies of at-home coronavirus tests running short and demand growing with the omicron surge, some test kits have been marked up to triple the retail price — or more. One online “wholesaler” is selling kits that typically cost less than $25 for $299. California law prohibits increases of more than 10% during an emergency, including a pandemic. But price gouging continues anyway. Thumbs down.
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