By Muhammad Al-Abdullah

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

DAMMAM – Several productive families affiliated with the Saihat Social Services Society have begun to produce cloth face masks to sell at nominal rates to meet the huge demand in the local market. This is at a time when the prices of masks have shot up in the market reaching a minimum of SR50 in place of the previous prices of not exceeding SR8.

Fatima Al-Mohsen, an official of the family development committee, said the society is following the progress of production and the state of supply and demand in addition to promoting the product through social media. “The society began encouraging productive families, badly affected due to lockdown following the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic, to produce masks in large quantities.”

She said the Ministry of Health's announcement with regard to using cloth masks with certain specifications was instrumental in encouraging productive families to produce masks, and this contributed to opening a new door for their livelihood. “The committee is sending notifications to firms including pharmacies that want to conclude contracts with productive families to produce masks, and the committee is also working to market masks through social media,” she said.

Wasfiya Al-Issa, a productive family member, said that she started producing cloth masks after the ministry’s announcement with regard to the specifications of the mask. “Most of the masks produced in the first phase were allocated to my family, and our plan is to sell them in the local market in the next phases so as to meet the high demand for the product,” she said.

Nisreen Al-Nasser, another member of the productive family, said she managed to produce about 40 masks before Eid Al-Fitr, and she handed over to a private firm. She said that there were many more orders from individuals and firms.

On her part, Amina Al Hijab said: “My studies in the field of sewing at Princess Jawaher Center helped me make various cloth products, but I turned to producing cloth face masks in accordance with the ministry's specifications following the outbreak of the pandemic.”