Canada steps up medical production amid uncertainty over supply from US

Trudeau said that 22 local apparel manufacturers will produce medical gowns using Canadian raw materials for the country's healthcare workers

Canada has presented a plan to step up production of face masks and other medical equipment amid attempts by the US President Donald Trump to restrict exports of masks, and global competition for medical equipment.

At his daily press briefing on Tuesday , Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the local production of 30,000 ventilators, masks and other protective gear needed to combat the Covid-19 epidemic, Efe news agency reported.

His announcement came hours after Trump prevented American conglomerate 3M from sending half a million N95 masks to Canada.

Although Washington backtracked on Tuesday and said it would allow the masks to be