Demand skyrockets for homemade masks, Etsy says. But don’t say they prevent coronavirus
Demand for homemade face masks has skyrocketed amid the coronavirus pandemic, Etsy says. But the website has put guidelines in place for those selling them.
Last week U.S. officials changed their guidelines on the use of face masks, suggesting that people wear them to slow the spread of coronavirus. The new guidelines overturn previous advice that only those infected with coronavirus or those caring for someone who is wear masks.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now says that everyone should wear a face mask when out in public. Although they won’t necessarily protect the wearer, they will prevent that person from spreading it.
But the CDC says people should only wear cloth masks, not those meant for healthcare workers.
On Friday, Etsy CEO Josh Silverman said in a statement that hundreds of thousands of homemade masks have been sold on Etsy in the last few days, and 10,000 people have sold a mask on the site.
“And with the CDC recommending all Americans wear face masks, we have also seen significant demand on Etsy for fabric face masks,” the statement said.
Silverman said this demand will likely “outpace” sellers’ supply and encouraged people who are able to consider selling homemade masks on Etsy.
“We believe that the Etsy community is uniquely positioned to address this crucial need during a global health crisis,” the statement said. “We hope that increasing the availability of fabric, non-medical grade face masks from Etsy sellers will allow more medical and surgical masks to reach the people who need them most: front-line healthcare workers.”
But the company has guidelines in place for how sellers can advertise their masks.
Sellers are not allowed to label the masks as medical devices, cannot claim they will prevent COVID-19 or any other virus or disease and cannot compare them to N95 masks, Etsy says.
Coronavirus or COVID-19 should not be mentioned on the listing.
Listings that violate the guidelines can be flagged by shoppers and removed from Etsy.
This story was originally published April 5, 2020 at 11:16 AM with the headline "Demand skyrockets for homemade masks, Etsy says. But don’t say they prevent coronavirus."
