China exports billions of masks from March to April

China exported 55 billion yuan ($7.77 billion) worth of epidemic prevention and control supplies, including 21.1 billion masks and 109 million protective gowns, from March 1 to April 25, the General Administration of Customs announced on Sunday.

Also during this period, the country shipped 110,000 patient monitors and 9.29 million infrared thermometers abroad, customs data showed.

The country's average daily export volume in this category jumped from 1 billion yuan in early April to over 2.5 billion yuan late this month, a notable surge.

Since China's production capacity of masks, protective gowns and other medical equipment ramped up rapidly after February, Jin Hai, director-general of GAC's department of general operations, urged domestic manufacturers of medical supplies to actively meet foreign demand and standardize production to help the global fight against the contagion.