Japan donates 9,000 surgical masks to Maldives

Japan, on Sunday, donated 9,000 surgical masks to Maldives.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the donation had been made by a group of well-wishers from Japan as a gesture of goodwill to aid in the fight to contain the global outbreak of the deadly novel coronavirus.

The threat of a potential outbreak of the deadly new virus in Maldives had led to a rise in demand for surgical masks. Several private pharmacies have pushed up the prices of surgical masks, while some other private pharmacy operators, as a gesture of goodwill, have imported shipments for free distribution or distribution at cost price.

Local health experts have recommended that it is unnecessary for the unexposed public to wear masks, and have urged other precautionary measures such as good hygiene practices, and avoidance of hospitals and mass public gatherings.