From The Daily Signal.com (Sept. 4):
When the rapid spread of the disease and new regulations led to a shortage of face masks, both medical-grade and non-medical grade, the free market and civil society stepped up to meet the challenge.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told the Senate’s health committee in March that the Strategic National Stockpile held only about 1% of the N95 and surgical masks needed to protect medical workers against the disease in a domestic pandemic scenario.
It was clear that a response was needed to reverse the emerging shortage of masks for medical workers and American families.
While the Trump administration took action to address the shortage of N95 masks and other personal protective equipment, the story of how American businesses, big and small, and families reacted quickly to demand cloth face masks is one that should give us confidence in the power of the free market and civil society.
For example, a woman in Michigan started a Facebook group called “West Michigan sews hope,” which started out as a group making reusable cloth face masks for staff at Spectrum Health, a health system based in Grand Rapids.
The hospital told MLive in early April that it had received more than 300,000 “clinically equivalent” masks from its community.
The woman who started the group also worked with her church, Impact Church, to create mask-making kits for others to use when making masks for the hospital. Now, the group has broadened its reach to help provide masks for other institutions, such as local nursing homes and first responders.
Larger clothing and retail companies also responded to the increased demand for cloth masks. [read more]
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