Egypt has set the specifications for the production and distribution of cloth facemasks to the public through food ration cards starting 1 July, setting a final price of EGP 8.5 per mask, a statement by the supply ministry said on Tuesday.

Supply Minister Ali Mosseilhi said the masks will be offered through ration cards at two masks per card, adding that 250,000 masks will be offered on 1 July and that this number will reach 19 million masks by the end of the month.

According to the statement, the masks are fluid resistant, are washable up to 50 times and do not trigger skin allergies. The statement added that the masks have a layer that is designed to kill bacteria and microbes.

The announcement comes a few weeks after Mosseilhi said that the need to provide facemasks has become “pressing” amid the outbreak of the highly contagious coronavirus.

Around 70 million citizens benefit from the country’s food subsidy programme, which offers staples like rice, pasta and other items. The programme has been revised multiple times in the past few years in an effort to ensure access by those most in need.

As of Monday, Egypt has recorded 66,754 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 2,872 deaths.

The announcement by the ministry comes as Egypt continues to make wearing facemasks in certain public places mandatory as it reopens its economy, with violators facing hefty fines of up to EGP 4,000 ($247).

Wearing facemasks is mandatory for workers or visitors at markets, shops, banks, government and private institutions, and on public and private transportation.

Egypt said earlier this month that over 100 textile factories would begin manufacturing reusable cloth facemasks at a capacity of 8 million masks per month in the initial phase, which will later be increased to 30 million masks a month.