Regulatory Alert: DOT Announces the Distribution of Over 15 Million Facial Coverings for Transportation Workers
May 28, 2020
Today the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that the Trump Administration would be distributing over 15 million cloth facial coverings to transportation workers across the country, including 3.8 million coverings specifically for the aviation sector. DOT, along with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has been working with stakeholders and industry to ensure that transportation workers receive the protective equipment they need. DOT indicated that the facial coverings were secured by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and will be sent out to airports and other aviation workers in the coming weeks via the U.S. Postal Service. FEMA previously announced that it would distribute face coverings to "Core 30" airports and six additional airports with significant cargo or other strategic operations. It is unclear at this point whether today's announcement will result in a broader distribution of masks beyond these 36 airports or exactly how that may occur. AAAE will provide additional information as we receive it.
Part 139 commercial service airports will recall that last week, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airport certification safety inspectors requested certain information regarding a potential sizeable distribution of facial coverings for passengers. In discussions with FAA headquarters, FAA informed AAAE that those inquiries were for planning purposes only. It is still unclear whether FEMA has a surplus of coverings for passengers or any other details regarding how distribution may occur if this plan were to move forward. Today's announcement relates to a separate, ongoing effort to distribute facial coverings to aviation workers that have been deemed critical infrastructure workers by DHS.
You can read DOT's full press release here. If you have any questions or other feedback, please contact Justin Barkowski at justin.barkowski@aaae.org.
Today the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that the Trump Administration would be distributing over 15 million cloth facial coverings to transportation workers across the country, including 3.8 million coverings specifically for the aviation sector. DOT, along with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has been working with stakeholders and industry to ensure that transportation workers receive the protective equipment they need. DOT indicated that the facial coverings were secured by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and will be sent out to airports and other aviation workers in the coming weeks via the U.S. Postal Service. FEMA previously announced that it would distribute face coverings to "Core 30" airports and six additional airports with significant cargo or other strategic operations. It is unclear at this point whether today's announcement will result in a broader distribution of masks beyond these 36 airports or exactly how that may occur. AAAE will provide additional information as we receive it.
Part 139 commercial service airports will recall that last week, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airport certification safety inspectors requested certain information regarding a potential sizeable distribution of facial coverings for passengers. In discussions with FAA headquarters, FAA informed AAAE that those inquiries were for planning purposes only. It is still unclear whether FEMA has a surplus of coverings for passengers or any other details regarding how distribution may occur if this plan were to move forward. Today's announcement relates to a separate, ongoing effort to distribute facial coverings to aviation workers that have been deemed critical infrastructure workers by DHS.
You can read DOT's full press release here. If you have any questions or other feedback, please contact Justin Barkowski at justin.barkowski@aaae.org.
