If even masks for adults could not be purchased at these places, masks for children must be harder to find, Chiang said, adding that this has worried many parents. Judging by the production rate of masks, the output of children’s masks constitutes only about 10 percent of total output, translating to about 390,000 masks per day, KMT Legislator Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) said. As parents of kindergarteners are frantically shopping for masks, the Cabinet should ensure sufficient supplies of children’s masks before elementary and junior-high-school students return to school, she said. The government could take the initiative to dispatch masks to schools when classes begin, she added. Classrooms could be vulnerable to cross-contamination and are potential vector sites for the virus, KMT Legislator Hsieh Yi-fong (謝衣鳳) said, adding that the situation could turn into community-wide outbreaks if the virus is taken home by schoolchildren.

Source: Taipei Times February 01, 2020 15:56 UTC