Home Depot stops selling N95 masks, will give supplies to hospitals

Home Depot will no longer sell respirator masks to the general public, donating them instead to hospitals amid the coronavirus pandemic, the company announced Wednesday.
The hardware giant has placed a “stop-sale” order on N95 masks and redirected shipments to be given to hospitals, health-care providers and first-responders, the company said. The sale halt applies in Home Depot’s nearly 2,300 stores and on its website.
The Atlanta-based retailer said it has also donated millions of dollars worth of personal protective equipment as hospitals battling the coronavirus run low on masks and other supplies.
“As our communities battle COVID-19, The Home Depot is committed to providing the essential needs required to maintain homes and businesses while doing our best to protect our valued customers and associates,” Craig Menear, the company’s chairman, president and CEO, said in a statement.
US health-care workers have reported shortages of N95 masks, which filter out airborne particles and form a seal around the nose and mouth. Home Depot joined other big companies such as Goldman Sachs and Japanese investment giant SoftBank in donating masks to the coronavirus response effort.
The pandemic has also led to several changes at Home Depot stores, which will now at 6 p.m., so there’s enough time to sanitize and re-stock them, the company said.
The chain has limited the number of shoppers allowed in the stores at one time, marked floors and added signage to encourage social distancing, and killed spring promotions so customers don’t flock to the stores.
Home Depot said it’s distributing thermometers to store and distribution center employees so they can perform “health checks” before reporting to work.
The company is also increasing paid time off for hourly staffers and providing up to 14 paid days off for those who have to be quarantined, according to a news release.
https://nypost.com/2020/04/01/home-depot-stops-selling-n95-masks-will-give-supplies-to-hospitals/