What to Consider & What’s Being Done

This page provides the latest COVID-19 resources as we  support one another during this pandemic and as we continue to navigate safe-retail, safe business operations, and vaccination. AAFA will be hosting a series of member calls this fall. Register with the links at the bottom of the page, or on the AAFA Events page.

AAFA RESOURCES:

• Open-Industry Webinar Recording - COVID-19 Lawsuits: Strategies to Protect Your Business (Hosted January 7) 
• Supplier Country Lockdown List
• AAFA/WRAP Guidance for the Continued Safe Operation of Factories During COVID-19
• See Mask resources (right>)
• Contact the AAFA team with any questions!

VACCINATION RESOURCES:
On September 9, President Biden delivered remarks from the White House outlining plans to mandate that all employers with more than 100 workers require their employees to be vaccinated or tested for the virus weekly. This will affect about 80 million Americans. AAFA will provide updates via our AAFA committee messaging as soon as more information is available, and as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration publishes more information.

OTHER THIRD-PARTY RESOURCES:

• State-by-State Business Reopening Guidance (U.S. Chamber of Commerce)
• CDC COVID-19 Data Tracker
• The Rally for Recovery Commitment (U.S. Chamber of Commerce)
• Find a COVID-19 vaccine site near you
• State Profile Reports
• COVID-19 Vaccine Market Dashboard
   

MASK ACCESS: 
AAFA has developed Accessing Face Masks: Your Purchasing Resource, a one-stop resource available on the AAFA website, to pair members who are manufacturing and selling face masks with those seeking purchases. As the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) continues to advise the use of cloth face coverings and most re-opening efforts require masks, there is a substantial demand for face masks for the foreseeable future.

AAFA's PPE RESOURCES:

• International Lab Testing Capability For Personal Protective Equipment
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Regulatory Guidance During COVID-19
• List of Relevant HTS Codes & Tariff Rates for PPE
•  Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Supplier List
• AAFA members taking action, via a combination of donations and PPE production. We are incredibly proud of these AAFA members, making a difference in the community!

THIRD-PARTY RESOURCES:

• COVID-19 Related Products Business Guidance (CPSC)
• PPE Webinar Series (FDA)
• President Biden's January 20 Executive Order on Protecting the Federal Workforce and Requiring Mask-Wearing 
• COVID-19 Related Goods: The U.S. Industry, Market, Trade, and Supply Chain Challenges (ITC)

On March 11, President Joe Biden signed a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill into law. AAFA immediately responded with a statement applauding both this stimulus as well as the temporarily extend tariff exclusions for imports of crucial Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and to temporarily lift other punitive tariffs which have been undue taxes on American businesses and consumers.

Most recently, AAFA has been pushing for global vaccine access as well as support for the ongoing shipping crisis that stemmed from COVID-19. Learn more with our letters at aafaglobal.org/news, on social media (@apparelfootwear), and via the AAFA Legislative Action Center.

AAFA is proud to share that 100 percent of the staff have been fully vaccinated.

Questions? Contact Beth Hughes.

We need to sustain the economy with smart health and economic measures until the economy can fully sustain itself. We can all do our part by getting ourselves vaccinated. At the same time, we need to make sure we don’t degrade our economic situation; that means no new tariffs and immediate action to relieve our industry of the crushing tariff burden it is already facing.” - AAFA President and CEO Steve Lamar