Amazon restricts face mask sales solely to hospitals, government agencies

Amazon has halted sales of face masks to the public after hospitals and health care workers report shortfalls amid the coronavirus pandemic, Vox reports.

Only hospitals and certain government agencies are now eligible to buy surgical and N95 respirator masks on the site, CNBC reports. Amazon made the change Wednesday.

The policy change also covers surgical gowns, Fox Business reported.

Vox says sales of face shields, surgical gloves and large-volume sanitizers also are restricted.

Hospitals and state or federal agencies can still buy the supplies through Amazon by filling out a form, CNBC reported.

“We are not accepting requests from individuals or non-qualified organizations at this time,” Amazon’s policy says, according to the network.

Some third-party sellers on Amazon reacted angrily to the news, Vox reported. But others said they supported the move.

Hospitals across the United States have reported running short of face masks and other crucial supplies after a rash of panic-buying as news of coronavirus cases in the nation broke.

More than 1 million cases of the COVID-19 virus have been confirmed worldwide with more than 51,000 deaths as of April 2, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 236,000 confirmed cases with more than 5,100 deaths.

The World Health Organization has declared coronavirus a global pandemic. The United States has declared a national emergency.

This story was originally published April 2, 2020 at 1:29 PM.