Expansion of Public Mask Sales from 50% to 80%... Purchase Limit of 2 Masks per Person per Week (Comprehensive)

Expansion of Daily Mask Production in Japan from 10 Million to 14 Million Within One Month
Complete Ban on Mask Exports Except for Humanitarian Purposes
Implementation of 'Day-of-Week 5-Day Rotation Sales' Based on Birth Year
'Duplicate Purchase Verification System' Activated After ID and Purchase History Check
Priority Allocation of Masks for Medical, Quarantine, Safety, and Educational Policy Purposes

On the 5th, as concerns over the spread of COVID-19 grow, citizens are lining up to buy masks at the Seo Gang branch of Seoseoul Nonghyup Hanaro Mart. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy reporters Kwangho Lee and Hyunjung Kim] The government plans to increase the public sales volume ratio of masks from the current 50% to 80% to resolve the mask shortage caused by the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Additionally, to prevent hoarding, the government will use the pharmacy information network to limit the purchase quantity to 2 masks per person per week. Exports, which were limited to 10%, will be completely banned except for humanitarian purposes.

On the 5th, the government held a joint briefing at the Government Seoul Office and announced the "Mask Supply Stabilization Measures" containing these details.

The government originally planned to finalize and announce the mask supply stabilization measures at an emergency cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on the same day, but postponed the announcement to 3 p.m. due to a lack of consensus.

There was also consideration of designating masks as "strategic goods" for special government management, but the relevant ministries reportedly expressed reluctance, citing regulatory impossibility.

The announced measures focus on expanding production and the public sales ratio so that citizens can actually purchase masks, and on limiting the number of masks per person to ensure fair distribution. To this end, the government will manage 100% of the entire process from mask production to distribution.

First, to increase domestic distribution, the government will completely ban exports, going beyond the previous limit of 10% of total production allowed for export. However, exports for humanitarian purposes will be allowed on a limited basis.

The public sales volume ratio will be expanded from the current 50% of total production to 80%. Public sales will start from the 6th, centered on pharmacies, but channels currently in use such as post offices and Nonghyup (Hanaro Mart) will be maintained until a duplicate purchase verification system is established.

If a person trades more than 3,000 masks in one day, they must report it, and approval is required for transactions exceeding 10,000 masks. Based on the Price Stabilization Act, a maximum price will be set to reduce the burden on households. Public supply will be secured through bulk contracts by the Public Procurement Service.

To block hoarding, the government will use the Drug Utilization Review (DUR) system, an information network among pharmacies, to limit the purchase quota to 2 masks per person per week and implement a 5-day rotation sales system based on birth year.

Additionally, the government aims to increase the current daily production of about 10,000 masks to 14,000 within the next month. In particular, subsidies will be provided to mask manufacturers to maintain weekday-level production even on weekends.

Specifically, 40 high-performance mask packaging machines will be supplied, and productivity of existing production lines will be increased by 30%. The purchase price of masks will be raised by at least 100 won, with additional increases based on weekend and nighttime production performance to encourage production expansion. Furthermore, to expand the supply capacity of melt-blown filters (MB filters), early operation of new facilities, conversion of facilities for other uses, increased production efficiency, and early imports will be promoted.

Moreover, the government recommended that masks not clearly exposed to contamination be dried and reused, and stated that cloth masks can be used if health masks are unavailable.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.