PPE shortages: Never again, until next time…

Shortages of facemasks and other essential items of PPE for frontline workers became tragically apparent across Europe and North America between February and May last year, during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The situation exposed a fatal reliance on China for these items which politicians of every stripe vowed must never happen again. Less than 18 months later, it’s back to business as usual.