Delay of mask shipment works out for city

A holdup in the delivery of a Montreal order for masks is proving to be fortuitous for the city.

In mid-march, Montreal civil protection officials placed an order with a local supplier for 800,000 KN95 masks to protect city personnel against COVID -19, responding quickly to the provincial government’s declaration of a health emergency in Quebec.

The city received 213,000 of the masks in several shipments from China on different dates, city spokesperson Gabrielle Fontaine-giroux said. The masks are used by police officers and firefighters, notably, in their critical response work, she said.

However, the time lag in the delivery of the remaining KN95 mask shipment has given the city time to change its order to disposable surgical masks, Fontaine- Giroux said. The city has received one million surgical masks so far, she said, adding they “became higher priority.”

The city hasn’t exceeded the $4.14 million price it was going to pay for 800,000 KN95 masks, Fontaine- Giroux said.

For one thing, Quebec public health officials, after initially downplaying the need for the public to wear a mask, have started promoting its use. For another, Premier François Legault this week donned a mask for the first time and said he now strongly recommends that Quebecers wear one when they leave home, particularly while taking public transit.

So now even one million surgical masks — which the city intends for use by its employees, such as blue-collar workers — doesn’t seem to be enough. The city said this week it’s worried about a shortage.

In response, Legault announced Friday his government is donating one million masks to Montreal, and offering $6 million to public transit authorities in the greater Montreal region to buy masks to distribute to commuters for free.

It has also become more challenging to acquire KN95 masks. On Monday, Health Canada issued a safety recall for KN95 masks manufactured by dozens of Chinese companies, saying they “pose a health and safety risk to end users.”

The recall notice said KN95 masks made by certain of the companies failed to meet 95 per cent filtration specifications.