At the time, the rationale given was that masks don't work. The idea that people would go to Home Depot to buy up all the existing masks was a nonsense excuse l

At the time, the rationale given was that masks don't work. The idea that people would go to Home Depot to buy up all the existing masks was a nonsense excuse later provided, since hospitals have their own supply mechanisms. Hoarding of toilet paper by the public did not cause a toilet paper shortage within hospitals.