“China now makes 200 million face masks a day — more than twenty times the amount it made at the start of February. The leap has been spurred by the outbreak of a new coronavirus.

“The masks include the lightweight ones that people like to wear in the hope of protection against coronavirus as well as the heavy-duty N95 masks used by health-care workers.

“But that’s still not nearly enough to meet local demands as well as global orders. So a scramble is now underway in China.

“Mask factories are “running at 110 percent capacity,” say authorities. And factories that once made shoes, iPhones and cars are being retooled to make masks.

“Machines that once churned out fibrous materials destined for diapers and sanitary pads are now producing materials for masks.”

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