Demand for masks has surged in recent weeks, exhausting not just China’s stockpile, but emptying shelves from Bangkok to Boston. Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Coronavirus: China’s surgical mask shortage ripples through global supply chain as health crisis continues
- China is the world’s largest producer of medical facial masks, but surging demand amid the coronavirus outbreak has created a severe shortage
- The shortfall has prompted Beijing to adopt quasi-wartime rationing, leading to an increase in imports and pushing some companies to manufacture their own for staff
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Coronavirus pandemic
Demand for masks has surged in recent weeks, exhausting not just China’s stockpile, but emptying shelves from Bangkok to Boston. Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen