BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- China's Supreme People's Court (SPC) on Thursday published eight criminal cases involving illegal acts relevant to protective items such as face masks amid the battle against coronavirus.

Featuring crimes of illegal business operation, sales of fake and inferior products and fraud, these typical cases are a second batch that involves acts of obstructing epidemic control and is published by the SPC.

Against the backdrop of a market supply shortage of protective items like face masks and their core materials since the coronavirus outbreak, some people opted for hoarding and price gouging, manufacturing and selling fake and inferior products or swindling, the SPC noted.

These illegal acts undermine efforts for both epidemic control and work and production resumption, and should be severely punished in accordance with the law, said the SPC.

It is a usual practice of the SPC to publish typical cases to offer guidance to local courts in handling similar cases.