The Trump administration urged construction companies to donate their excess face masks to hospitals and clinics that may be running out amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The call follows new legislation from Congress changing the liability status of masks that are typically used in construction and manufacturing to be allowed for use in hospitals. This decision was made to alleviate the shortages in face masks caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
“We would make one specific request, and that is we would urge construction companies to donate their inventory of N95 masks to your local hospital and forgo additional orders of those industrial masks,” Vice President Mike Pence said during a White House press conference on Tuesday.
He continued, “Because of what the president asked to be included in legislation moving through the Congress today, those industrial masks that they use on construction sites are perfectly acceptable for healthcare workers to be protected from a respiratory disease.”
Pence noted that President Trump knows construction companies “very well” from his background as a real estate developer. He added, “We are asking them to donate their masks to their local hospitals and also forgo making additional orders.”
