The masks have been flying off the shelves, and stores and manufacturers have been struggling to keep up with the demand, the Associated Press reports. As surgical and facial mask supplies dwindled, people turned to dust masks, particularly N95 respirators. Home Depot has limited sales of N95 respirators to 10 per person, according to the report, and 3M is ramping up its respirator production to meet the demand.
Multiple wood floor pros have shared their frustration on Facebook about finding empty shelves when going to purchase disposable respirators.
The CDC has been advising people against wearing masks to protect themselves from the virus. It says masks should instead be used by those who are showing symptoms of the virus in order to avoid spreading it to others.
As of today, nearly 90,000 cases of coronavirus have been reported worldwide, with more than 3,000 deaths linked to the virus, two of them in the U.S., according to The New York Times. The flu-like virus has also caused major disruptions in the global markets.
