Nearly 42,000, or about 82.2 percent, of sizable manufacturing enterprises in Guangdong province, one of the economic powerhouses in the country, have resumed production as the province continues to battle the novel coronavirus outbreak.

All the 102 key manufacturing enterprises followed and served by the provincial industry and information technology department have resumed production, said Yang Pengfei, deputy director of the department, at a news conference on Saturday.

Among them, Huawei Technologies was manufacturing at more than 90 percent of its capacity, Gree Electric Appliances at nearly 80 percent and Midea Group at more than 70 percent.

Yang's department has also been working to help suppliers of key manufacturers resume production, including those of Huawei, Midea, ZTE Corp and GAC Group.

With more enterprises and projects up and running, demand for surgical masks has expanded.

The provincial authority has been helping licensed enterprises to expand production and assist other qualified firms in getting licenses to make masks.

A key issue has become the inadequate supply of materials and equipment for mask production.

If such supplies meet demand, tight mask supply in the province is expected to be eased by the end of this month, Yang said.