That’s probably true, but at least here in CA I was seeing more people each day wearing surgical type masks as well as the reusable masks with & without valves in public. I like the washable type, but when woodworking and sawdust is flying that old 3M respirator is preferred. Regardless, simple observation showed we were moving in the direction of the public being asked to wear masks in public and now it’s official.

Watching the news, apparently the heat is on 3M to deliver their N95 masks to the domestic market — their CEO is doing PR. Apparently an official in Florida raised a big twitter stink because the masks he had cash to buy were being exported (foreign buyer) — next thing you know POTUS signed an executive order. So 3M masks (10 million a week if I heard correctly) should be entering the supply chain. Would my single respirator make a difference — no, that would be virtue signaling of a different type. If I had a few unopened boxes of N-95 or surgical masks on the shelf I’d take them over to the local hospital. One respirator which still requires two of the correct cartridges to function? No, that stays on my bench. YMMV