Residents in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, were allowed to make reservations online to buy masks starting Friday evening, according to sources from a local pharmaceutical company.

In an effort to help residents better prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited, a leading pharmaceutical company in China, announced one person can buy up to five masks one day after making an online reservation in its subsidiary drugstores.

Residents can make a reservation, based on their ID numbers, on a mini-program in WeChat, China's largest online social platform. They can then visit the designated drugstores the next day to finish purchase, according to the company.

More drugstores will be involved in the online reservation service to allow more residents to buy masks after testing.