WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st March, 2020) New legislation will ensure the creation of a Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) stockpile in the United State none of which is made in China to protect Americans from the novel coronavirus, US Senator Rick Scott said in a news release on Friday.
"The 'American-Made Protection for Healthcare Workers and First Responders Act' would address the current PPE shortage and build the national stockpile of goods from American-based producers to eliminate our dependence on foreign adversaries' supply chains during a crisis," the release said.
The new legislation authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to maintain its own Strategic National Stockpile of PPE for US first responders, the release said.
"As a nation, we need to finally take a stand and demand that communist China is removed from our supply chain. We need to build our own strategic stockpile of American-made protective gear to make sure we don't face a shortage again," Scott said in the release.
PPE includes gowns, helmets, gloves, face shields, goggles, facemasks, surgical masks and respirators or other equipment designed to protect the wearer from injury or the spread of infection or illness. It also includes disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer, ventilators and respirators, the release said.
