Qichacha, a data bank that tracks registrations of new businesses in China, showed that from Jan 1 to Feb 29, the number of enterprises whose business scope covers medical equipment, masks and other protective equipment had surged. Among them, as many as 2,957 new companies were involved in the manufacture of masks.

Zhang Weiwei, an online content editor with the Business Review magazine, said it remains to be seen if the market can sustain all these mask makers once the epidemic ends.

A newly established mask enterprise in Zhejiang province, Zhang said, plans to make high-end protective masks, and further expand its capacity by 20 percent after the epidemic ends.

Despite market uncertainties, industry experts noted that in the future, professional-grade face masks will dominate the market. This could mean, the market share of low-end gauze masks will inevitably drop.