Mask situation addressed by commerce official

The government will take measures to address long queues of people at drugstores to buy masks, Liu Min, vice director of Shanghai Commerce Commission, said on Wednesday.

Liu said Shanghai mask makers are able to produce over 1 million masks every day, and customs authorities have opened a green tunnel to enable fast clearance of supplies used in combating the coronavirus.

“We have masks imported from foreign countries every day,” she said.

With the city’s 17 mask plants all in operation, they will be able to make up to 4 million masks per day, the commission said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, since compulsory temperature screenings were introduced for all people who enter Shanghai via expressways on January 27, some motorists have waited hours to pass through tollgates. The problem could be further aggravated as more people return to Shanghai at the end of the Chinese New Year holiday.

The government said on Wednesday that it will address the situation by training more staff, including police assistants and volunteers, and open as many tollgates as possible.

The Shanghai government also held a conference with 105 consular officials from 66 foreign consulates in the city on Wednesday afternoon.