Minister of Commerce and Industry Khaled Al-Roudhan issued a Ministerial Decision on Monday setting prices of medical face masks. The decision is issued on basis of a letter from the Ministry of Health, recommending that masks' prices be set between 100 fils and KD 1.320.

It warned violators of the set rates would be punished according to relevant laws. The ministry added in its statement that the department of commercial supervision and consumer protection had devised a plan to monitor prices of medical utensils at pharmacies and medical centers to ensure adherence to the standard criteria and regulations.

Special teams have been assigned to inspect prices of the medical products in the local market, it said, urging citizens and residents to call on the phone hotline 135 to report about any irregularities in this respect.

Earlier it was reported that the prices of N95 mask has increased in the local market after the country reported three cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Kuwait.