The Yangquan market regulation bureau recently issued a registration certificate for disposable face masks and medical surgical masks to Shanxi Xiangyou Medical Devices Co based in Pingding county, in Yangquan city in North China's Shanxi province, according to local officials.

Officials said this marked the green light given for the company -- which established itself in Yangquan in February -- to start full production of medical masks. They said it is the first face mask producer in Yangquan.

To help the company begin full production as soon as possible, the Yangquan market regulation bureau arranged for special staff to offer guidance in the construction of production workshops, as well as in technical requirements, raw materials procurement and in trial production sample inspections. 

It only took the bureau around 40 days to help the company get the medical device registration certificate and production license, much quicker than the previous time frame of around 1 year. 

"The epidemic prevention and control has entered the normal stage and protective masks are still necessary for people to go out," said company spokesman Wang Xinmin.

"Our company now has a daily production capacity of 400,000 masks, meeting the needs of companies and residents in Yangquan and they are also being sold to Beijing, Shandong province and to Inner Mongolia autonomous region," he added.