Government To Send Face Masks To Nursing Homes


Government to send face masks to nursing homes

Japan's government is going to send 21.5 million face masks to nursing care and other facilities facing a shortage amid the outbreak of the new coronavirus.

Health minister Katsunobu Kato made the announcement on Thursday.

He said about 10 million masks are due to be delivered to the ministry next week and 11.5 million more in the following week.

Kato said the ministry will distribute the masks from later this month through early April. He said the ministry will collect information in order to prioritize facilities based on the degree of need, and send the masks directly to them.

The government's purchase of reusable cloth masks is part of its second package of emergency measures to fight the outbreak.