Pence urges construction companies to give coronavirus masks to hospitals

Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday urged construction companies to donate respiratory masks to hospitals and health centers as fears grow they will run out of essential medical equipment as the coronavirus infects more Americans.

“We would make one specific request, and that is we would urge construction companies to donate their inventory of N95 masks to your local hospital and forgo additional orders of those industrial masks,” Pence said at a White House briefing on the pandemic.

“Because of what the president asked to be included in legislation moving through the Congress today, those industrial masks that they use on construction sites are perfectly acceptable for health care workers to be protected from a respiratory disease,” he added.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend that people wear the N95 masks to keep from being infected by the virus.

The industrial-strength masks are usually worn by drywall workers and painters to protect themselves from fine airborne particles.

The N95 designation means the mask can block at least 95 percent of particles in the air.