On April 10, 2020, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued a temporary final rule (TFR), pursuant to the Defense Protection Act (DPA) and related authorities[1], to require explicit approval for exports of certain personal protective equipment (PPE).  This TFR is aimed at allocating certain scarce or threatened materials for domestic use as needed for national defense during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The TFR took effect April 7, 2020, and remains effective until August 10, 2020.  This date could be extended.

Five Types of PPE Currently Covered:

Pursuant to this TFR, shipments of the following five types of PPE, determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to be “scarce or threatened materials”, may NOT leave the United States without explicit FEMA approval:

• N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators, including devices that are disposable half-face-piece non-powered air-purifying particulate respirators intended for use to cover the nose and mouth to reduce exposure to pathogenic biological airborne particulates;
• Other Filtering Facepiece Respirators (e.g., those designated as N99, N100, R95, R99, R100, or P95, P99, P100), including single-use, disposable half-mask respiratory protective devices that cover the user’s airway and offer protection from particulate materials at an N95 filtration efficiency level;
• Elastomeric, air-purifying respirators and appropriate particulate filters/cartridges;
• PPE surgical masks, including masks that cover the user’s nose and mouth and provide a physical barrier to fluids and particulate materials; and
• PPE gloves or surgical gloves, including exam and surgical gloves, as well as gloves intended for the same purposes.

Note that this list is not exhaustive, and that the FEMA Administrator may add other materials if they are determined to be scarce and critical materials essential for national defense.  Other such materials would be added to this allocation order, and there would be a Federal Register notice.

FEMA Approval Process

Pursuant to this TFR, before any shipments of these materials may leave the United States, the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) will detain the shipment temporarily, so that FEMA may determine in a reasonable time period, which is not defined, and acting based on promoting national defense how to proceed.  They could either issue a rated order for all or part of the shipment and return the merchandise for domestic use (i.e., not allowing the export at all), or they could allow the export in whole or in part.
Continue Reading FEMA Issues New Rule Requiring Approval for Exports of Certain Personal Protective Equipment