Facebook, which owns Instagram, and Google ban all ads for medical-grade masks, and Amazon limits their availability to online shoppers.
The tech giants have said they are following guidance from the CDC, which continues to recommend medical-grade masks be prioritized for healthcare workers. However, these policies were established when the nation faced much worse personal protective equipment shortages, and now public health agencies are recommending all Americans upgrade to masks with higher filtration to better protect against variants of the novel coronavirus, according to the Times.
Owners of small medical-grade mask manufacturers told the Times their companies have endured significant financial losses due to the tech platforms’ policies, as hospitals and health systems don’t often buy masks from them. They also said they find the policies even more bothersome when they see these sites display ads for companies that make nonmedical-grade masks that offer less protection.
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