U.S. Textile and Nonwoven Associations Urge Government to Deem Manufacturing Facilities “Essential”
The U.S. textile and nonwoven associations NCTO, IFAL and INDA issued a joint statement today urging federal, state and local governments to deem textile and nonwoven manufacturing facilities as “essential” when drafting “Shelter in Place” orders in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
The associations recognize the serious challenges of the elected officials, health administrators and others are facing when issuing orders to protect communities across the country and show understanding for the necessity to enforce quarantine orders.
The members of these associations are part of the production of personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical nonwoven/textile supplies, including surgical gowns, face masks, antibacterial wipes, lab coats, blood pressure cuffs, cotton swabs and hazmat suits. These items are vital to the government’s effort to ramp up emergency production of these critical supplies.
If workers who produce these goods are not granted an “essential” exemption from “Shelter in Place” and other quarantine orders to go to their manufacturing and distribution facilities, it will cause major disruptions in the availability of these goods, states the association. This will create hardship to healthcare providers and consumers across the country who depend on steady and stable supplies of these critical items, says the NCTO.
National Council of Textile Organizations
