New York criticized for distributing Chinese-made masks

(The Center Square) — New York’s Democratic leadership is being criticized for recommending “Chinese-made” masks to upstate residents impacted by the Canadian wildfires.

Last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a statewide air quality advisory urging New Yorkers to stay indoors and wear well-fitting N95 or KN95 masks when outdoors. This advisory was prompted by thick smoke from Canadian wildfires that swept through the state, lowering air quality to unhealthy levels.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued a similar advisory, touting “free KN95 masks” at distribution sites citywide.

But a national manufacturing industry group pointed out that KN95 is a kind of mask that is generally made in China, not by domestic makers for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and designed for general consumer use, not high-risk environments like smoke from wildfires.

“This is outrageous,” Tom Allen, president of the American Medical Manufacturers Association and CEO of New York-based Altor S...