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EPA to donate 225,000 pieces of PPE to state and local governments

Posted at 9:09 AM, Apr 07, 2020
and last updated 2020-04-07 10:09:45-04

On Monday, April 6, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that they would donate 225,000 pieces of personal protective equipment to state and local first responders across the country.

The PPE will be distributed to FEMA or state and local governments that are currently in need while working COVID-19 operations.

"EPA is working hard to support our nation's first responders as they risk their own safety to save lives during the coronavirus pandemic," said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler in a press release. "After searching our inventory of personal protective equipment, we identified excess supplies and sent them to those on the frontlines of this fight. At EPA we are here to help in any way we can and I encourage everyone else to do the same."

Items being donated are protective disposable gloves and full-body protective cover-all suits.

The agency says that it maintains a supply of PPE as part of their emergency response functions.

The 225,000 excess pieces were identified after the agency says it assessed how much equipment would be needed to support their essential functions.

The EPA says the donation of excess equipment will still allow the agency to maintain its emergency response readiness.

Read more about the EPA's involvement with COVID-19, here.