Following Monday's (April 6) daily updates on Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Taiwan, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) declared the island nation was on track to reach its goal of producing 15 million face masks per day by Sunday (April 12).
During a press interview at the Legislative Yuan, Economics Minister Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津) pointed out that Taiwan would soon be able to churn out 15 million masks daily to meet the increasing demand of protective equipment. He stated that Taiwan's supplies of non-woven fabric, the key raw material used in surgical masks, were sufficient for producing 20 million masks per day, so the public should not be concerned.
Regarding medical workers' demand for more N95 respirators, Shen promised the government would ramp up production if the pandemic worsened. He also mentioned that N95 masks required four times the amount of raw material and cost compared to regular face masks, so it was currently impossible and unnecessary to manufacture more of these higher quality masks, reported UDN.
Shen stressed that the MOEA would issue "stimulus coupons" for night markets, shops, and restaurants to boost Taiwan's economy once the outbreak ended. He explained that the ministry had originally planned to issue the coupons earlier, but decided to push the date back considering the adverse effects they might bring to the country's ongoing pandemic, reported Yahoo News.