Beijing, Feb 13 (AFP/APP): A diaper manufacturer in eastern China was closed for the Lunar New Year holiday when it heard from officials — China needed vast amounts of masks to fight a deadly virus epidemic and factories needed to chip in. In just over two days, New Yifa Group converted a manufacturing line in Fujian province to make face masks, tapping some of its materials that would have gone into hygiene products. “All our staff are working on the masks now,” the group’s vice president Shen Shengyuan told AFP in a phone interview. He added that the line can produce up to 600,000 mask pieces a day, and the company is looking to convert another nappy production line soon. Companies across China — from iPhone maker Foxconn to car manufacturer BYD and garment factories — have made similar forays into protective gear as the country grapples with a shortage of medical equipment to prevent the virus from spreading. To date, the virus has killed more than 1,350 people and infected some 60,000, sparking fear across the globe and causing people to stock up on protective supplies. Authorities said this month that China urgently needed masks, especially at the epicentre … Continue reading As China needs virus masks, phone and diaper makers fill void