France To Produce Over 10Mln Medical Masks Per Week By End Of April - Macron

France to Produce Over 10Mln Medical Masks Per Week by End of April - Macron

France will increase the production of protective medical masks to more than 10 million per week by the end of April in light of the worsening coronavirus pandemic, President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday

PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st March, 2020) France will increase the production of protective medical masks to more than 10 million per week by the end of April in light of the worsening coronavirus pandemic, President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday.

"Before the crisis, we produced 3.3 million masks per week in France. By the end of April, we will [produce] more than 10 million. In a few weeks we will triple [the production]," Macron said during an address at the Kolmi-Hopen mask manufacturer in the western commune of Saint-Barthelemy-d'Anjou, as shown on his Twitter.

The president added that companies should increase their production of masks to reduce the dependence on foreign partners, noting that the authorities had recently decided to import about 11 billion masks from China.

To date, France has confirmed over 44,500 cases of COVID-19, including 3,024 fatalities and nearly 8,000 recoveries.