Growing number of states, cities now mandating masks in public at all times

For everyone hoping life in the U.S. would be “back to normal” by summer, the answer is: not.

The state of California has issued a mandatory order for the use of face coverings in public indoor spaces, including while shopping, riding on public transportation or seeking medical care. In addition, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s order requires the use of masks or face coverings in public outdoor spaces when social distancing is not an option.

A number of other states already mandate masks in public, including Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.

In addition, as widespread testing reveals more positive cases of COVID-19, individual cities are issuing their own mandatory orders on the use of face coverings. Scottsdale, AZ and Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg and the Florida Keys in Florida have issued new orders. Starting this week, businesses in Houston have been ordered to require face coverings for employees and customers.

If Americans are going to be required to wear masks, it sure makes sense to be wearing masks made in America. After all, why would you want to protect yourself from a virus that originated in China with a mask from China?

That’s the way Nine Line looks at it. From the very start of this pandemic, we’ve wanted to become part of the solution.

When our nation and our president first called on the ingenuity of American businesses to come up with new ways to solve the critical shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for our health care professionals and first responders, we immediately stepped up to the plate.

Nine Line has been working pretty much ‘round the clock over the last few months with a team of engineers and manufacturers to design, develop and produce an effective, economical re-usable mask that meets or exceeds all FDA requirements — right here in America.

Our Homeland AMPP (American Made Personal Protective) Mask is a patent-pending, American-made, injection-molded product that’s built to work like the industry-standard N-95, blocking airborne germs that could lead to infection.

Our AMPP is sourced and printed in Detroit, MI. The mask is made of durable and flexible plastic materials, and the adjustable strap ensures a secure yet comfortable fit.

The AMPP is reusable and easy to clean. The front of the mask (filter cage) snaps on and off to allow the filters to be replaced.

Our unofficial task force has designed, produced, and tested this revolutionary American Made Personal Protective mask without a dime of federal funding, in record time. The only thing we haven’t been able to speed up is FDA approval. Even though our mask design uses all FDA-approved materials, we haven’t been able to get the mask tested in an FDA-lab.

And there’s one more thing. If our government is going to mandate the wearing of masks, it should be mandating “American-made” to help rebuild our economy, and end our reliance on China for our most essential products.

It’s not going to be easy. The average hourly wage of a manufacturing worker in China is about one-tenth of what an American worker earns. That’s why stuff from China is so cheap.

But trying to compete on price alone is ultimately a fool’s game. As a nation, we need to protect our citizens, protect our lives — but also our livelihoods.

Self-reliance is one of the most important qualities upon which our nation was founded. We must never forget our heritage. Now more than ever.