patrick.net

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday he is extending a mask contract with China-based BYD, which would bring in 120 million more N95 masks and 300 million paper surgical masks in order to bolster California’s supply. The state will pay BYD motors $315 million under the new so-called “bridge contract.”

The initial billion-dollar contract with BYD, signed April 7th, was criticized for a lack of transparency and delayed certification. The state paid $3.30 per N95 mask and 55 cents per surgical mask under that deal.

Compared to the first contract, this week’s deal is much more economical for the Newsom administration; prices have fallen to $2.13 per N95 and 20 cents per surgical mask.

The announcement came the same day California shattered its daily record for new coronavirus cases, reporting 12,807 new infections. On Tuesday, the state surpassed New York for the state with the most confirmed cases, which now top 413,000.

https://www.capradio.org/articles/2020/07/22/california-extends-a-controversial-mask-contract-but-gets-a-better-deal-this-time/