Officials To Send Out Masks From Govt. Stocks
Japanese government officials are preparing to send out over 2.5 million face masks from their stockpiles to medical and other facilities facing a serious shortage due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The government decided to release the masks out of some 6.4 million kept at ministries and agencies in case of disasters or other emergencies.
The masks are being collected at a warehouse in Tokyo. Stocks of the Defense Ministry arrived on Thursday, with Self-Defense Force personnel unloading boxes containing 2,000 masks each from trucks.
The masks are to be given to hospitals and nursing care facilities via prefectural governments. Work to deliver them is to start as soon as this weekend.
Masks have been in short supply for more than a month despite the government's pledge to secure over 600 million, including imports, in March.
