The price of disposable surgical face masks has been capped at 95c and that of face shields at €5, the Economy Minister said.

Silvio Schembri said in a Facebook post the government will not tolerate abuse through inflated prices for disposable surgical masks or face shields.

The maximum price for masks and shields, he said, was being set by legal notice in the interest of the people.

Abuses should be reported to the police on 2294 4504 or 2294 4511 on by email on pulizija@gov.mt.

Those found in breach of legal notice could be fined between €116 and €582 for a single offence, which fine can go up to €2,329 for multiple offences.

In  statement later, Schembri said the prices were capped following talks with the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority, the Malta Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises and the Chamber of Commerce.

He said the talks were held to ensure that the country would have a good provision of such protective clothing and that the people would be able to buy them at a reasonable price.