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In mid-March, as they scrambled to prepare for a coming surge in COVID-19 cases, state officials found themselves in dire need of masks, gowns, gloves, and other personal protective equipment. Hospitals were clamoring for the gear to shield front-line workers from the new and gravely infectious coronavirus. National shortages had rendered many traditional supply chains useless, and President Trump made it clear that the federal government had little interest in jumping in to help. “We’re not a shipping clerk,” Trump said. (Rocheleau and Arnett, 6/11)

WBUR found problems with at least three deals in which masks were never delivered or their quality was subpar. In each of these cases, Massachusetts pre-paid millions of dollars to brokers and waited weeks and weeks to get masks. As some deals soured, the state continued its mad dash for protective equipment. (Willmsen and Healy, 6/12)

In scrambling to buy protective equipment for the coronavirus pandemic, federal agencies purchased up to $11 million worth of Chinese-made masks, often with little attention to manufacturing details or rapidly evolving regulatory guidance about safety or quality, a ProPublica review shows. Some agencies cannot say who made their masks at a time when thousands of foreign-made respirators appeared on the market, some falsely claiming approval or certification by the Food and Drug Administration. (Torbati and Willis, 6/11)

For most of my life, I have had a minor but chronic condition: My face, when it is at ease, looks not just serious but mean. There are women who will recognize this problem, particularly those who — around this time of the year, as the sun comes out and more of us are outside — have grown accustomed to being asked “Why don’t you smile?” by anonymous people, usually men, on the street (that, or breathlessly practicing how we can put more people “at ease” by softening our facial expressions in the mirror). (Bennett, 6/10)

Michael Conley felt especially isolated these past few months: A deaf man, he was prevented from reading lips by the masks people wore to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But then he met Ingrid Helton, a costume designer who sewed him a solution – masks with plastic windows for hearing people to wear, allowing lip readers to see mouths move. She has started a business to provide the windowed masks, and she’s not alone. A half-dozen startups are doing the same. (Watson, 6/12)

Orange County residents no longer have to wear masks in public, officials announced Thursday — an abrupt shift in health orders following weeks of debate over the use of face coverings to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Masks will go from being required to being strongly recommended in public settings under a revised order from new Orange County Health Care Agency Director Dr. Clayton Chau. (Money, Fry and Lai, 6/11)