Amazon, Facebook and Google N95 mask restrictions at odds with expert advice Scientists are urging Americans to upgrade their protection, but their options are limited by politics and bureaucracy. FacebookTwitterEmail The restrictions on the sale of N95 masks by Google, Facebook and Amazon is indicative of a broader, national divide over the best course of action for average people looking to protect themselves from COVID-19 infection. One year into a global pandemic that has claimed 515,000 lives in the United States and 2.54 million lives globally, messaging on best mask-wear is still inconsistent at best and contradictory at worst. Many state governments seem to be sending the message that the worst is over and masks are no longer as necessary. On Wednesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott lifted the state-wide mask mandate with an executive order, following similar orders by Gov. Kim Reynolds in Iowa, Gov. Asa Hutchinson in Arkansas, Gov. Mike Parson in Missouri and Gov. Ron DeSantis in Florida.