They needed to have done this months ago. Instead of running a propaganda campaign that masks are supposedly not effective against coronavirus and that we should not buy them anyway because we need to save them for the hospital workers who really need them. Completely disingenuous.

It’s beyond frustrating to be told to conserve face masks in the face of a pandemic rather than to purchase contracts to ensure companies produce what we need.

China is currently making 200 million masks a day. In addition, China and South Korea attribute much of their success at containment of coronavirus to the use of masks.

Making masks available for all (like South Korea who is giving every citizen and resident an allotment of 2 face masks/week) + a mandate for all to wear face masks would do so much to curb this pandemic. But instead we’re running this crazy experiment of in essence shutting down our economy via mandatory business and company closures. Not thinking through the real long term damage and consequences of such actions. Unemployment. Social unrest. Destruction of business.

Some more food for thought. Jack Ma was able to secure and send 1 million face masks to the US already. If government won’t act, private citizens and foundations (I’m looking at you Bill Gates Foundation) can.