Taipei, May 26 (CNA) Local surgical face mask manufacturers have seen a spike in orders as a ban on open market surgical mask sales that has been in place since late January is set to be lifted on June 1.

Taiwanese mask brand CSD said it has received a huge number of inquiries since Monday, after the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said the ban could be lifted because Taiwan now has enough masks to meet its daily needs, especially as the COVID-19 threat eases.

CSD said it has received orders from several foreign countries, including the United States, Italy, and Spain, through those countries' representative offices in Taiwan, as well as from hypermarkets, drugstores and online shopping websites in Taiwan.

It estimated that the combined quantities ordered would be 20 to 30 times the orders it was receiving before the COVID-19 pandemic began in China in late December, reflecting the massive increase in demand for the masks in recent months.

The company currently has a daily output of 950,000 masks.

Another Taiwanese mask producer, KNH Enterprise Co., Ltd., also said it has received a large number of orders from customers in Europe, the Americas and Asia since the outbreak.

Many local customers also recently expressed interest in placing new orders after learning that the government will soon lift the ban, it said.

CSD noted, however, that the price for face masks will be more expensive than it used to be before the outbreak, citing a 118 percent hike in the price of raw materials, but did not divulge what it would charge.

Before the COVID-10 outbreak, a single face mask cost only NT$1 to NT$3 (US$0.03 to US$0.09) in Taiwan, and rationed face masks sold to Taiwanese consumers during the outbreak have cost NT$5 per mask.

On Monday, Taiwan's CECC and Ministry of Economic Affairs said the government is planning to lift the ban on surgical mask exports next month, but the decision will not be finalized until later this week.

According to Vice Economics Minister Wang Mei-hua, Taiwan currently produces 20 million surgical face masks a day and will continue to requisition 8 million masks per day starting June 1, leaving the rest to be sold on the open market by manufacturers.

Taiwan barred exports of all surgical masks on Jan. 24, three days after it confirmed the first case of COVID-19 infection and domestic demand surged.

One week later on Jan. 31, Taiwan requisitioned all face mask production in the country to control their distribution amid panic buying.

The government instituted a rationing system in February that first allowed people to buy two masks per week, then three masks per week and then nine masks every two weeks as mask production increased.

Even with the new plan, the existing rationing system limiting people to purchases of nine masks every two weeks through official channels will remain in place.