No more exports of face masks, says Putrajaya

KUALA LUMPUR (March 20):  The government has actually already banned the export of face masks effective March 18 in light of the COVID-19 situation in the country, says the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry.

According to a report by The Star, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi also told the media that the authorities were also allowing imports of masks to ensure sufficient supply.

Meanwhile, the price of three-ply face mask has also gone up to RM2 from 80 sen per piece.

Linggi explained that the price of masks have to be increased owing to higher cost of production materials, reported the daily.

"By allowing face masks to be sold at RM2, we hope to encourage local manufacturers to produce more.

"For exporters, this price will help cover the costs to bring the product into the market,” he added.

"With this, we hope to increase the availability of face masks," he said.

Yesterday, China Construction Bank (Malaysia) donated 15,000 masks to Malaysia as part of efforts to help contain the spread of COVID-19.

The report said the masks, comprising 5,000 face masks and 10,000 medical face shields, donated by the China state-owned financial institution will be sent to Sungai Buloh Hospital, Selangor, the main hospital dedicated to treating COVID-19.