A senior Industry Ministry official said that output inside Iran had topped six million face mask per day to respond to the growing demand for the protective gear amid the pandemic.

“We assure all walks of life in the society about the availability of masks required for fighting the coronavirus,” Keyvan Gordan told IRNA adding that 50 factories are currently manufacturing face masks inside Iran.

Gordan said that Iran’s total output figure for face masks could be higher if production by military forces and volunteer groups are included in the tally.

He said Iran has maintained a blanket ban on exports of various types of face masks since the start of the outbreak except for a brief period of time when limited shipments of N95 respirators had been allowed.