China continues production ramp-up for masks

China is boosting efforts to increase the market supply of urgently needed masks to fight the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak, an official from the country's top economic regulator said.

As of Monday, production capacity of masks in China has been expanded to 110 percent, said Tang Shemin, an official from the National Development and Reform Commission.

"Increasing the market supply is key," Tang said on Wednesday at a news conference held in Beijing. "More effort will be made to get workers to return to their jobs, motivate companies to expand their production capabilities and help solve practical difficulties such as funding and supply of materials."

In the next step, the NDRC will make a big push to resolve any issues mask manufacturers are facing, motivate some companies to revamp their plants to produce more masks and ensure the supply of key equipment and materials.