The Japanese government is considering postponing the launch of the distribution of some 80 million additional cloth face masks to nursing care homes and other facilities, health ministry officials have said.
It is now uncertain when the government will start the distribution program, which was initially slated to begin this month to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to the officials.
The necessity of the project has been questioned as the supply-demand balance for face masks has improved in the country.
The ministry had planned to finish the additional mask distribution by the end of September.
The government’s distribution of cloth masks to all households in Japan was completed in June, but met criticism over the slow distribution and the supply of some defective masks.
Source: ANNnewsCH
