“Those industrial masks that they use on construction sites are perfectly acceptable for health care workers to be protected from a respiratory disease,” Pence said at a White House briefing March 16. “We are asking construction companies that our president knows very well from his background … we’re asking them to donate their N95 masks to their local hospitals and also forgo making new orders.”
Face masks have been in high demand since the outbreak of the coronavirus, and in recent weeks wood floor pros noted a shortage of respirators on store shelves.
Several stores have placed limits on the number of masks that can be purchased. The CDC has recommended against the general public using the masks to protect themselves from the virus, noting that masks should instead be used by those who are already showing symptoms to prevent spreading the virus to others.
