FEMA Loosens Restrictions on PPE, COVID-Related Items

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is no longer restricting exports of four categories of personal protective equipment and other items used to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency announced May 19. FEMA said its restrictions -- originally announced in April 2020 (see 2004080018) and extended in December (see 2012300017) -- no longer apply to industrial N95 respirators, certain surgical masks, certain piston syringes and certain hypodermic single lumen needles. Other export restrictions still apply, the agency said, including for surgical, single-use N95 respirators, and certain nitrile gloves and surgical gowns.

The agency said it loosened the restrictions to “adapt to consistently fluid supply chain considerations.” Manufacturers and exporters of the items that are still controlled may request an exemption from the restrictions if they have a surplus, FEMA added. The manufacturer must “demonstrate a good-faith and unsuccessful attempt to sell the material to the domestic market.”