About 37 million surgical masks will be put on the Hong Kong market soon, Chief Secretary for Administration Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said on Thursday.

The move aims to alleviate a citywide shortage of such masks in the wake of a possible local outbreak of the novel coronavirus epidemic, which originated in Wuhan, the capital city of Central China's Hubei province.

Briefing the media on Thursday afternoon, Cheung said the SAR government has secured 8 million surgical masks thanks to the help of mainland authorities. Some of the masks arrived in the city on Thursday, he added.