As the world races to either buy or produce face masks, Saudi Arabia has reassured its citizens and residents living in the Kingdom that there are sufficient quantities of the protective gear.

According to a report carried by Saudi Press Agency on Tuesday quoting a statement from the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, there are nearly 3.5 million face masks being produced weekly by eight factories in the country.

Meanwhile, the number of sanitizer factories has risen to 35 in the Kingdom, with their production capacity exceeding 1.4 million liters per week amid high demands for the product as it helps prevent the contraction of infection from polluted surfaces.

The SFDA also announced that the Kingdom has stopped export of all medical equipment and devices ever since the beginning of the crisis.

In another development, the Director General of the Communication and Media Center at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Al-Tuwayyan has announced that the arrival points of stranded Saudi citizens from abroad in the Kingdom will be Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.

Elderly citizens, people with emergency health circumstances, humanitarian cases, people with special needs and those holding canceled air tickets will be given preference while processing the return requests.

SOURCE : SAUDI GAZETTE