Iranian factories producing face masks have swung into full gear amid a surge in coornavirus cases in the country that has caused deaths for a dozen people and infected scores more.
Local media reports on Monday showed that the ministry of industries (MIMT) had ordered plants and factories producing protective face masks to ramp up production to full capacity.
The order come amid a shortage in face masks in Iran and amid efforts to contain a coronavirus outbreak that has affected several major cities in center, north and east of the country.
The MIMT has guaranteed that all masks will be purchased by the ministry of health, the body which is planning to distribute the masks for free among the population.
Other government departments have joined in the campaign to confront the spread of infection in Iran.
The Ministry of Defense, which runs major industrial units across the country, also placed orders on Monday for mass production of disinfectants.
A report in the Fars news agency said a production line for disinfectants will be launched as of Tuesday morning to supply some 20,000 liters of the liquid to the population each day.
Officials in the ministry of health said on Monday that the number of people infected with coronavirus in Iran had reached 64, of whom 12 people had died.
The epicenter of the disease has been the city of Qom, a religious city of nearly one million people located more than 100 kilometers to the southwest of Tehran.
Other major cities and areas affected include the capital Tehran, the northern province of Gilan and the central province of Markazi.