Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday called on factories to speed up the production of medical supplies, especially face masks, as part of efforts to control the spread of the COVID-19 that has swept across the country and infected over 75,567 people.

Premier Li said the country has made progress in preventing and controlling the epidemic over the last few days, thanks to medical supplies, material and equipment which have played great supporting roles.

Earlier on Monday, Li said the control of the COVID-19 is showing an "active and improving" trend, and with the measures the government has taken, the possible wider spread of the virus has been averted.

People will need a larger number of face masks as they return to workplaces, he said, urging factories to "race against time" to produce such medical supplies.

Li made the remarks during a visit to a bio-tech company in Beijing.

Li also listened to a work report on the country's overall production capacity of medical supplies.

Officials said companies and factories will increase production lines in the near future to meet the need for medical supplies, in which the daily output of face masks can reach up to hundreds of millions.

Li said the country is at a critical time in controlling and preventing the COVID-19, and the government should play a supportive role in coordinating resources for such factories to increase their output and make sure there are enough supplies.

When inspecting the bio-tech company's newly-built production line, Li said face mask factories should continue to race against the clock and speed up their production, while making sure of the quality of their products.

(Cover: Medical workers at a hospital in Wuhan, Hubei Province, February 14, 2020. Li Jingjing/CGTN)