Optec International Inc (OPTI)

[Justin]

California to buy 200 million masks a month amid outbreak

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE and ADAM BEAMApril 8, 2020

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California plans to spend nearly $1 billion to buy up to 200 million masks each month to boost its stockpile of protective gear during the coronavirus outbreak, an eye-popping figure meant to turn the state into a distributor of medical equipment for other Western states struggling with supply shortages.
Gov. Gavin Newsom made the announcement on Rachel Maddow’s MSNBC show Tuesday night. On Wednesday, Newsom announced the state had its largest daily increase of COVID-19 deaths with 68.
“As a nation-state with a capacity to write a check for hundreds of millions — no, billions of dollars — we are in a position to do something bold and big that could be a catalyst to increase supply,” Newsom said. “We want to be there for our fellow governors.”