Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia plans to produce 10 million face masks daily 

Saudi Arabia has plans to produce up to 10 million face masks daily as the Kingdom ramps up its efforts to curb the coronavirus outbreak, the Ministry of Industry Bandar al-Khorayef said on Wednesday.

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“Saudi Arabia’s production of masks reached a record level of 2.5 million masks daily. The targeted volume of production is 10 million masks daily,” he said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people wear a face mask in public settings to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Since the outbreak, the Kingdom has increased its production of face masks by five times, al-Khorayef said.

Developing the mask industry

Saudi Arabia is working on several initiatives to help stimulate the private sector, especially industries that are essential to fighting the coronavirus pandemic, the minister said.

“Work is under way in the Ministry of Industry to amend and expand the program of initiatives to stimulate the private sector as well as to expand important productive sectors that have gained significance in global scale during the corona pandemic period,” he said.

The minister said the Kingdom is working to make the local mask industry more attractive through a number of initiatives and decisions at the customs, financial and organizational levels.

“The Kingdom focuses on initiatives and legislation aimed at facilitating investments in vital and multiple industrial sectors, including the mining sector,” he added

The government will provide sectors involving factories that produce food and medicine with additional support packages since they have witnessed growing demand in recent months, according to al-Khorayef.

“Products of these factories have witnessed growing demand during the pandemic period on regional and global levels,” he added.

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