S Korea bans export of face masks

KUALA LUMPUR (March 6): The South Korean government has today banned the the export of face masks, The Korea Times reported.

The country's Ministry of Economy and Finance annunced that the action is "part of emergency measures to curb the continued spike the prices of the face masks and a shortage of what many consider a daily necessity to prevent any further spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19)".

The ban will remain in force until June 30.

"The country's mask manufacturers are bracing for weeks of overnight work to meet the rapidly increasing demand.

"The government will implement all measures possible to help the public feel that masks are being made available fairly to those in need," said the republic's Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun at a Cabinet meeting in Daegu yesterday.

The authorities in South Korea are also taking action against hoarding of the masks. Maximum weekly purchases will be "strictly limited to two per person" starting March 9. An electronic purchase and storage system controlled by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service will keep watch on how many are being bought. Purchases will be prohibited without an ID.