Mask production continues ramp-up

Chinese manufacturers are speeding up production at full capacity to meet frontline medical workers' urgent need for masks amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, with daily output of more than 900,000 N95 medical masks, the country's top economic regulator said on Tuesday.

Ou Xiaoli, director of the Department of Social Development at the National Development and Reform Commission, told a news conference the country is able to meet medical workers' need for N95 masks, and daily production is set to reach one million at the end of this month.

Currently, daily production of masks is more than 54 million, almost three times higher than that at the end of the Spring Festival holiday. Production capability has been expanded to 110 percent of the normal level, NDRC data showed.

"With the orderly resumption of work and production and people's lives returning back to normal, we'll see a soaring demand for surgical masks," Ou said.

According to him, the contradiction between supply and demand will increase by then.

"Actually, it is unrealistic to say we can offer as many masks as possible now," Ou added. "In addition to speeding up production and increasing market supply, we also need to improve the efficiency of the use of masks and reduce waste."