Coronavirus sparks a ‘war for masks’ in desperate global scramble for protection

As the coronavirus pandemic spreads across Europe and the United States, a global scramble for medical equipment such as respirator masks and gloves is underway. Several countries have accused the United States of trying to hijack their orders, but the details of who may have done what to whom are still murky.

In France they are calling it the “guerre des masques” – the war of the masks, and on Friday German officials also made allegations against the United States.

Andreas Geisel, a senior official in the state of Berlin, said that the US had committed an act of “modern piracy,” alleging that a consignment of 200,000 respirator masks destined for the Berlin police had been diverted to the US while in transit in Bangkok.

“This is not how you deal with transatlantic partners,” Geisel said, adding that “even in times of global crisis, no wild west methods should be used.”

A German media report said the company involved in the Berlin order was US manufacturer 3M. But 3M told CNN Friday that the company “has no evidence to suggest 3M products have been seized. 3M has no record of any order of respirators from China for the Berlin police.”

The Berlin police told CNN they could not confirm whether an order had been placed with 3M. CNN has reached out to the White House and US Department of Health and Human Services for comment.

The US government’s invocation of the Defense Production Act has made life difficult for some suppliers with foreign contracts. The 1950 law gives the government sweeping powers during emergencies to direct industrial production. President Donald Trump criticized 3M for seeking to export protective equipment, tweeting Thursday: “We hit 3M hard today after seeing what they were doing with their Masks. ‘P Act’ all the way. Big surprise to many in government as to what they were doing - will have a big price to pay!”

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On Friday 3M responded: “Ceasing all export of respirators produced in the United States would likely cause other countries to retaliate and do the same, as some have already done.”

A senior White House official denied the administration was blocking 3M from sending shipments of respirators to Latin America and Canada.

As stockpiles dwindle and countries embark on what one French official called a “global treasure hunt,” governments are reluctant to allow protective and other equipment to leave their shores. Many governments say the prices being offered and demanded for personal protective equipment (PPE) are exorbitant.

On Friday, Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha González Laya said an order for ventilators that had already been paid for had been impounded in Turkey.

“There is a shipment of ventilators that for now are not going to leave Turkey because the Turkish government understands that it is a priority for the treatment of its patients in Turkey,” she said.

“[What] they do guarantee is that, within a reasonable period of time, within a few weeks, they will make that material available to Spain again,” González Laya added.

CNN has requested comment from the Turkish government.

Workers at the Inhauma cemetery in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, carry the coffin containing the remains of 89-year-old Irodina Pinto Ribeiro on Friday, June 18, 2021. Brazil has now marked 500,000 deaths from Covid-19 -- the second-highest death toll in the world.

A demonstrator holds a sign that reads "Bolsonaro out" in a protest against Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's administration on June 19, 2021 in Rio de Janeiro. Many are angry at his handling of the Covid-19 crisis as the country marks 500,000 deaths from the virus.

Jeffrey Shiau, a volunteer from the crowd, spits water into the mouth of Sam Kaufman, a performer from the Human Fountains, during a "reopening party" in Los Angeles on Tuesday, June 15. California lifted most of its Covid-19 restrictions Tuesday as part of a grand reopening in which the state ended capacity limits, physical distancing and — at least for those vaccinated — mask requirements.

People watch fireworks in front of the Statue of Liberty after the state of New York lifted most of its Covid-19 restrictions on Tuesday, June 15. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that 70% of adults in New York had received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Exhausted grave diggers rest between funerals at a cemetery designated for Covid-19 victims in Bandung, Indonesia, on Tuesday, June 15.

This aerial photo, taken on Sunday, June 13, shows a graduation ceremony at Central China Normal University. The ceremony in Wuhan, China, also included graduates who could not attend last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dr. Brajpal Singh Tyagi, left, performs surgery to remove mucormycosis, a rare and potentially deadly infection also known as black fungus, from a patient in Ghaziabad, India, on June 1. In the past few weeks, thousands of black fungus cases have been reported across the country, with hundreds hospitalized and dozens dead. Many of those being infected are coronavirus patients or those who have recently recovered from Covid-19 and have weakened immune systems.

A Covid-19 victim is laid to rest in a graveyard in Comas, Peru, on June 1. Peru has more than doubled its official death toll from the Covid-19 pandemic following a government review of the figures. That leaves the country with the world's highest coronavirus-related death rate per capita.

Two moviegoers watch a film at the Kiggins Theatre in Vancouver, Washington, on May 14. Many places in the United States are starting to reopen and get back to some sort of normal as more people get vaccinated.

People ride on a wave swinger at Chicago's Navy Pier on May 14. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently revised its Covid-19 guidelines, saying it's safe for fully vaccinated people to remove their face masks in most settings.

Guests are seen at the reopening of The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, which held a concert for health care workers, first responders and essential workers.

Family members look on as Jack Frilingos, 12, receives a Covid-19 vaccine in Decatur, Georgia, on May 11. It was a day after the US Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer's vaccine for the 12-15 age group.

People in protective suits cremate the bodies of Covid-19 victims while others work to extend a crematorium in Kathmandu, Nepal, on May 5. Covid-19 cases are skyrocketing in Nepal, resembling a similar outbreak in neighboring India.

Health workers carry signs while participating in a protest outside a hospital in Caracas, Venezuela, on May 1. During the protest, which was part of International Workers' Day, they demanded better wages and working conditions as well as mass vaccinations against Covid-19.

Passengers sit on the deck of the Costa Smeralda cruise ship in Savona, Italy, on May 1. The Italian cruise line Costa Cruises set sail for the first time in more than four months.

A member of the group Rio de la Paz places a cross at Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach on April 30. It was in preparation for an event marking Brazil's Covid-19 death toll, which had reached 400,000.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau receives a Covid-19 vaccine at a pharmacy in Ottawa on April 23.

Funeral pyres burn in New Delhi as people wait to cremate Covid-19 victims on April 23. A second wave of Covid-19 is devastating India, killing thousands of people each day and setting world records for daily infections.

People sit in an observation area after receiving Covid-19 vaccines at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Appointments are no longer necessary at any of the vaccination sites run by the city.

Relatives of a patient who died from Covid-19 perform his last rites amid other burning pyres at a crematorium in New Delhi.

Migrant workers line up to enter a railway station ahead of a lockdown in Mumbai, India, on April 14.

A health worker at a charity hospital in Belém, Brazil, sings and prays for a Covid-19 patient as part of Easter celebrations on April 4.

This aerial photo shows an area of Mumbai, India, on April 10. Because of rising Covid-19 cases, a weekend lockdown was imposed across the entire state of Maharashtra.

The Rev. John Kellogg, rector of Christ Church, wears a protective mask as he distributes communion at a sunrise Easter service held at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC.

Women in Krakow, Poland, carry Easter baskets after a food-blessing ceremony at the Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel on April 3.

People wear face masks and observe social distancing as they attend a Good Friday church service in Berlin on April 2.

People scatter as police fire water cannons to disperse a crowd at a park in Brussels, Belgium, on April 1. Violent clashes broke out between Brussels police and people gathering to attend a fake April Fool's Day festival that violated coronavirus restrictions.

Yoshia Uomoto, 98, reacts as her son Mark Uomoto and niece Gail Yamada surprise her at her assisted-living facility in Seattle on March 30. Because of Covid-19 restrictions, it was their first in-person visit in a year.

People in Barcelona, Spain, attend a concert for the rock group Love of Lesbian on March 27. Fans had to take a same-day Covid-19 test before attending the show, which was permitted by Spanish health authorities.

A person dressed as the Easter Bunny greets children in a vehicle during a drive-thru event in Alexandria, Virginia, on March 27.

Beachgoers are seen in Miami on March 22. Miami Beach was forced to extend a curfew and state of emergency, possibly for several weeks, after city police struggled to control shoulder-to-shoulder crowds of spring breakers over the weekend, Mayor Dan Gelber said.

Tercio Galdino and his wife, Alicea, wear astronaut costumes to protect themselves from Covid-19 as they walk along the Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro on March 20.

A remote-controlled robot takes a throat swab at a hospital in Tanta, Egypt, on March 20. The robot prototype is part of a project to assist physicians in testing patients for Covid-19.

Relatives of Tereza Santos, a Covid-19 victim, react as she is about to be buried in São Paulo, Brazil, on March 9.

First-grader Sophia Frazier does her schoolwork behind a plastic divider at Two Rivers Elementary School in Sacramento, California, on March 8.

Dr. Mayank Amin, dressed as Superman, prepares a Covid-19 vaccine at a clinic in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, on March 7. Amin has been on a mission to vaccinate thousands of people in his rural community.

A child tosses a surgical mask into a fire during a mask-burning event at the Idaho Statehouse in Boise on March 6. People gathered in at least 20 cities across the state to protest Covid-19 restrictions.

Country music legend Dolly Parton receives a Covid-19 vaccine in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 2. She posted the video to her Twitter account, urging her followers to get their shot when they can.

From left, high school students Emma Banker, Jessi McIrvin and Valerie Sanchez record their vocals in pop-up tents during a choir class in Wenatchee, Washington, on February 26. Wenatchee High School has been using the tents for its music programs during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Anna, a resident of the Villa Sacra Famiglia Nursing Home, holds her daughter's hand in the Rome facility's "hug room" on February 24. The room allows residents and their families to touch one another while staying safe from Covid-19.

Members of Congress observe a moment of silence on the steps of the US Capitol on February 23. At that point, more than 500,000 Americans had lost their lives to Covid-19.

Peter Ben Embarek, a member of the World Health Organization team tasked with investigating the origins of Covid-19, receives a swab test on the balcony of a hotel in Wuhan, China, on February 3.

Sandra Fogel watches a movie alone January 30 during the Gothenburg Film Festival in Gothenburg, Sweden. Most fans watched the movies online this year. Fogel applied to be one of the few allowed to see a movie in person.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reacts during a Covid-19 news conference on January 26. The virus at that point had killed 100,000 people in the United Kingdom.

A nurse takes care of a Covid-19 patient at a hospital in Pierre-Benite, France, on January 25.

People dance in a park in Wuhan, China, on January 23, a year after the city went into lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19.

A morgue attendant, right, stands next to the body of a Covid-19 victim in Pretoria, South Africa, on January 22.

People wait to receive a Covid-19 vaccine January 20 at a vaccination center set up inside Salisbury Cathedral in Salisbury, England.

A tennis player waits for a training session from his hotel in Melbourne on January 19. Dozens of players had to quarantine in hotels ahead of the Australian Open.

Kelvia Andrea Goncalves, left, is supported by her aunt Vanderleia dos Reis Brasao during the burial of her mother, Andrea dos Reis Brasao, in Manaus, Brazil, on January 17. Andrea, 39, died from Covid-19.

Chinese workers wait to receive a Covid-19 vaccine at a mass vaccination center in Beijing on January 15.

Motorists wait in lines for Covid-19 tests outside of Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium on January 4.

A family gathers around the television in Liverpool, England, as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson addresses the nation on January 4. Johnson reimposed a lockdown in England as a more transmissible variant of Covid-19 fueled a surge in infections and hospitalizations in the country.

Health-care workers celebrate the new year in the intensive care unit at the San Filippo Neri Hospital in Rome.

Mortuary workers take off their personal protective equipment after removing the body of a person who allegedly died of Covid-19 in Barcelona, Spain, on December 23.

US President-elect Joe Biden receives the first dose of his Covid-19 vaccine during a live televised event in Newark, Delaware, on December 21.

Margaret Keenan, 90, is applauded on December 8 after she became the first person in the United Kingdom to receive the Pfizer/BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine. The United Kingdom was the world's first nation to begin vaccinating its citizens with a fully vetted and authorized Covid-19 shot, a landmark moment in the coronavirus pandemic.

A doctor tests a man for Covid-19 in Shah Alam, Malaysia, on December 10.

Dr. Joseph Varon comforts a patient on Thanksgiving Day in the Covid-19 intensive care unit at the United Memorial Medical Center in Houston.

Airline crew members wearing protective suits arrive at Los Angeles International Airport on November 24.

Workers in El Paso, Texas, move coronavirus victims from refrigerated trailers into the main morgue on November 23. El Paso County had seen a surge in coronavirus cases, and inmates were recruited to help the shorthanded, overworked staff.

Cali Hammer fist-bumps Santa, who was behind a plexiglass partition at a Cabela's store in Tilden Township, Pennsylvania, on November 20.

Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, speaks during a news conference on November 19. Birx became the first official with the White House coronavirus task force to speak at a briefing while wearing a face mask.

Medical workers and patients are seen November 18 at a temporary hospital that was set up for coronavirus patients at the Krylatskoye Ice Palace in Moscow. Russia said that as of November 16, more than 33,000 people in the country had died of Covid-19. But that number is disputed by critics who say the Kremlin is underreporting the numbers.

Medical staff transport a coronavirus patient to a waiting flight at the Lyon-Bron Airport in France on November 16.

Cars line up at Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium for Covid-19 testing on November 14.

Spc. Demetrie Barnett of the Nevada National Guard administers a Covid-19 test to North Las Vegas City Councilwoman Pamela Goynes-Brown during a preview of a free drive-thru testing site on November 12.

A nursing-home resident, left, speaks with her visiting daughter through a plastic screen in Castelfranco Veneto, Italy, on November 11. The plastic screen is part of a "Hug Room" that allows residents and their families to embrace each other during the coronavirus pandemic.

A soldier waits at a window for a colleague's swab as they practice inside a rapid testing center in Liverpool, England, on November 6.

A medical worker looks away as she provides care to a Covid-19 patient in Saint-Etienne, France, on November 6.

A boy watches as a health worker tests someone for Covid-19 in Hyderabad, India, on October 27.

People shop at an outside market in Berlin on October 27.

A medic sits in an ambulance in Kommunarka, Russia, on October 27.

Commuters ride a bus in Beijing during rush hour on October 26.

Volunteers at a cemetery in Yangon, Myanmar, bury someone believed to have died from Covid-19.

People wait in a line to vote early in New York City on October 24. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the state of New York was allowing early voting for the first time.

An oversized surgical mask is displayed on the front of a house in San Francisco. The homeowner put it there ahead of Halloween.

A cyclist takes pictures of a public art project set up on the DC Armory Parade Ground in Washington, DC. An estimated 240,000 flags were planted to represent lives lost to Covid-19. The display, created by local artist Susanne Brennan Firstenberg, was on display for two weeks.

Medical staff use a biocontainment stretcher to transfer a Covid-19 patient to a hospital in Varese, Italy, on October 19.

A dog is trained to sniff out Covid-19 at a national veterinary school in Paris on October 15.

A health worker takes a swab from a resident at a Covid-19 testing center in Qingdao, China, on October 12. The Chinese port city planned to test some 9 million people in the following days after 12 locally transmitted cases were reported.

A health worker in Manila, Philippines, sits behind a booth October 6 during mass testing for public transportation drivers.

An Orthodox Jewish man takes photos of a photographer with his cell phone during protests in New York on October 6. Members of the Orthodox Jewish community protested after the state announced new coronavirus-related restrictions.

A security guard gives hand sanitizer to students as they arrive at the Prabhat secondary school on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 6.

A man from the Mouride Brotherhood reads a book with poems written by Cheikh Amadou Bamba as he stands in line to enter the Grand Mosque of Touba in Touba, Senegal, on October 5.

Tourists crowd together in Beijing as they move slowly on a section of the Great Wall of China on October 4. The scene would have been unthinkable just months ago.

Empty chairs are displayed near the White House to represent the American lives lost to Covid-19.

US President Donald Trump arrives at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, on October 2. Trump announced on Twitter earlier that day that he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for Covid-19. He spent the weekend at Walter Reed and received various treatments.

A paramedic adjusts a patient's face mask outside an Athens, Greece, nursing home where dozens of people tested positive for Covid-19.

The Moncloa bus station in Madrid is deserted after new lockdown measures were imposed in the city. New measures are being introduced in many countries across Europe as a second wave grips the continent.

A student has her temperature checked before entering classes at a school in Thankot, Nepal, on September 30.

A health worker tests a student for Covid-19 after classes started at a college in the Indian village of Jhargaon on September 30.

Medical staff hold swabs for rapid Covid-19 tests at a high school in Rome on September 28.

Medical residents sit in the middle of a street as they protest their working conditions in Barcelona, Spain, on September 28.

Members of the LSU marching band sit apart from one another before a college football game in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on September 26.

A grave digger in Jakarta, Indonesia, plants a cross in a public cemetery, part of which is reserved for suspected Covid-19 victims, on September 26.

A cemetery worker in La Paz, Bolivia, pushes a cart with a plastic-wrapped coffin on September 23.

Carmen Wilke places flags September 22 as part of the Covid Memorial Project, which installed 20,000 American flags on the National Mall in Washington, DC. More than 200,000 people in the United States have died from Covid-19.

An adviser waits for people behind a plastic glass screen during a job fair in Barcelona, Spain, on September 21.

A woman watches the band Jikustik during a drive-in concert in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on September 20.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews are separated by plastic shields as they pray in a synagogue in Bnei Brak, Israel, on September 18.

A health worker in Hyderabad, India, takes a break in front of a fan on September 17.

Brides and grooms wait for the Pope's arrival at the San Damaso courtyard in the Vatican on September 16.

Maria Hernandez, top, embraces her aunt through a transparent curtain at a nursing home in San Salvador, El Salvador, on September 11.

A coronavirus victim is buried at a cemetery in Jakarta, Indonesia, on September 8.

Young students make sure they are spread out from one another as they stand in a line before entering a classroom in Pamplona, Spain, on September 7.

A girl cries as she is tested for Covid-19 at a drive-thru testing station in East Jerusalem on September 6.

People wear face masks and sit spread apart at the opening ceremony of the Venice Film Festival in Italy on September 2.

Nuns of the Missionaries of Charity, the order founded by Mother Teresa, wear masks and face shields as they distribute food to the poor and homeless in Kolkata, India, on August 26.

Cemetery workers carry Wilson Gil's remains on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, on August 26. Gil died of complications related to Covid-19, according to family members.

Workers in New Delhi prepare to cremate the body of a coronavirus victim on August 22.

A health worker administers a Covid-19 test in the Indian village of Kusumpur on August 17.

People gather in Little Venice on the Aegean Sea island of Mykonos, Greece, on August 16.

Thousands of people gather for an electronic music festival at a water park in Wuhan, China, on August 15. The novel coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan late last year.

Funeral workers in Peru's Uchumayo District bury a coffin in a massive burial ground for low-income people and unidentified victims of Covid-19.

A man receives an injection while taking part in a vaccine trial in Hollywood, Florida, on August 13.

Election officials sort absentee ballots in Atlanta, where there were several runoffs taking place on August 11.

Gravediggers bury a coronavirus victim at the Pondok Ranggon cemetery in Jakarta, Indonesia, on August 10.

Kindergarten students wear face masks and play in screened-in areas at the Wat Khlong Toey School in Bangkok, Thailand, on August 10.

Medics wait to transport a woman with possible Covid-19 symptoms to a hospital in Austin, Texas, on August 7.

A coronavirus victim is lowered into the ground during her funeral in New Delhi on August 7.

Resident doctors and interns attend a rally in Seoul, South Korea, on August 7. They were protesting the government's plan to expand admissions to medical schools — a policy meant to address a shortage in physicians.

A health worker performs a Covid-19 test at a gymnasium in Navotas, Philippines, on August 6.