States Spent Over $7 Billion Fighting For Early Virus Supplies
Some governors described the early PPE marketplace as the Wild West, where supplies simply went to the highest bidder.
David A. Lieb and Camille Fassett
Ray Bellia had a good business before the coronavirus pandemic. He topped $4 million in annual sales from his New Hampshire store that specialized in protective gear for police.
Then he got a call from a buyer with the state of Massachusetts asking if he had anything that could protect people from COVID-19. As it happened, he did. He went on to sell the state 300,000 disposable masks for 97 cents each.