The New York Times reports that due to a combination of sometimes contradictory policies, independent producers of high-quality N95 masks (including washable, reusable models) have seen their ability to supply high-quality masks (and their profits) crushed by rules against general advertisements for medical-grade supplies, certification requirements, and algorithms that do not offer them a chance to sell. Google and Facebook ban advertisements for medical-grade masks—policies put into place back when people were being told not to buy masks, since they had to be saved for healthcare workers.
But today, major firms like Honeywell and 3M have beefed up production, imports from China are increasing, and small firms have come online, including one that has a half-million unsold N95 masks in its New Jersey factory. Amazon has claimed that medical-grade masks are only to be sold to medical personnel, but Amazon itself sells N95 masks that it has purchased in bulk.
High-quality N95 masks are much more effective than cloth masks or surgical masks; widespread use of N95 masks in close settings could have a significant impact on cutting the infection rate.
