A TV factory will be repurposed to make surgical face masks amid the rise of coronavirus.

The vast numbers of people looking to wear the masks has led to a shortage across many parts of the world, potentially causing problems for those healthcare professionals and others who rely on them.

Now Sharp has said it will use a plant in Japan which normally makes displays to produce up to 500,000 masks a day.

Electronics displays are generally made in what are called "germ-free" plants for the sake of high quality, making them an ideal place for mask-making.

It comes as officials condemn those people who are unnecessarily buying the masks, amid warnings over the unintended consequences of stocking up on them.

Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Show all 10 1 /10 Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A man wearing a face mask crosses a road in Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Reuters Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A view of the empty entrance to the UniversitÃ Cattolica (Catholic University) in Milan, northern Italy, on 24 February, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Empty streets in Daegu, South Korea, on 23 February, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Empty streets in Daegu, South Korea, on 23 February 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A lone sanitation worker sits near the closed Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, on February 24, 2020. Reuters Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A view of a deserted street in Codogno, northern Italy, on February 23, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Italian police officers set a road block in Codogno, Northern Italy, on Monday, Feb. 24, 2020. AP Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A supermarket closed in Codogno, one the northern Italian towns placed under lockdown, on February 23, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A lone cyclist wearing sanitary masks pedals in the center of Codogno, Northern Italy. LaPresse via AP Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty An empty road at the entrance of the small Italian town of Codogno on February 23, 2020. AFP via Getty

“Seriously people — STOP BUYING MASKS!” said Jerome Adams, the surgeon general of the US, on Twitter. “They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if health care providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!”

The Japanese have long worn face masks to prevent spreading colds or alleviate allergies and that practice has grown more widespread since the recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus that causes the disease known as Covid-19.

Sharp, owned by Hon Hai Precision Industry Company, also known as FoxConn, of Taiwan, said mask production at its Mie Prefecture plant will start by the end of March.

Sharp, based in Osaka, Japan, said in a statement it hoped to contribute to society by making the masks.

Their prices, sales channels and other details are still undecided, it said.