Coronavirus: Federal agencies waited until mid-March to place bulk orders for masks.

The United States wasted time. A lot of it. And as a result, lost the ability to take control of the coronavirus crisis in time. That is the clear conclusion of two in-depth reports, one published by the Associated Press and another by the Washington Post that reviewed how the Trump administration failed to get ready for the pandemic that has now engulfed the country.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/04/coronavirus-federal-agencies-wasted-time-pandemic-masks.html