FEMA outlines exportation ban on respirators, surgical gloves

The Federal Emergency Management Agency issued a temporary rule to bar the exportation of some personal protective equipment, including some respirators and surgical masks and gloves. For the duration of the COVID-19 crisis, the following “shall be allocated for domestic use, and may not be exported from the United States” without explicit approval by FEMA:

• N95 and some other filtering facepiece respirators;
• Elastomeric, air-purifying respirators and appropriate particulate filters/cartridges;
• PPE surgical masks; and
• PPE gloves or surgical gloves.

The rule does not apply to powered air-purifying respirators or self-contained breathing apparatus.