The South Korean government is preparing a stockpile of 100 million face masks in preparation for a possible second wave of COVID-19.

During a briefing at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters on Thursday, Minister of Food and Drug Safety Lee Eui-kyung said the government had secured the budget necessary to create a reserve of 100 million masks for the public.

The government is also planning to reserve protective masks for medical workers on the front lines of the battle against COVID-19.

Yoon Tae-ho, a senior Health Ministry official, said the government is currently securing masks to prepare for mass infections that could be worse than what was seen in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province.

Yoon added that although it is hard to estimate the exact number of patients that will be affected by future outbreaks, the government is saving up enough anti-contamination gear and Level D protection suits for medical workers, with plans to buy more medical equipment as needed.