The US can’t supply enough medical masks for healthcare workers, let alone the general public

For weeks, US health authorities were clear in their message to the general public about who should and shouldn’t wear a face mask in the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak: If you were well and showing no symptoms, they recommended that you not wear a mask. Now the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are recommending everyone wear a mask “in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain,” such as grocery stores, to slow the virus’s spread. More effective N95 respirators and surgical masks, which use specialized textiles, would continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and first responders.