BANGKOK, Feb 21 (TNA) – Thailand has imposed a ban on
export of face masks and limited the number that travelers can take overseas at
30 pieces to ensure sufficient domestic supply.
The decision came after the Internal Trade Department has
previously required exporters to seek permission for the export of 500 masks or
more.
The Internal Trade Department’s Director-General Whichai
Phochanakij on Friday announced that some exporters had divided their shipments
to lower than 500 masks in each delivery.
Therefore, the Department had banned unauthorized export of
face masks to ensure an adequate domestic supply in the wake of the coronavirus
outbreak, he said.
Each traveler was allowed to take no more than 30 facemasks
overseas per trip, except patients with medical certificate could take up to 50
pieces, he said.
As of Wednesday, a Department report showed there were 28
million facemasks in domestic stock, Whichai said. (TNA)
