What to Consider & What’s Being Done

In addition to ongoing Coronavirus policy calls, AAFA committee updates, and frequent member update emails from AAFA president and CEO Steve Lamar, this page provides the latest COVID-19 resources as we come together to support one another during this pandemic.

AAFA is propelling the industry forward at this incredibly difficult time. Learn more via our weekly member calls, plus related advocacy and resources throughout this page.

AAFA RESOURCES:

• Open-Industry Webinar Recording - COVID-19 Lawsuits: Strategies to Protect Your Business (Hosted January 7) 
• Accessing Face Masks: Your Bulk Purchasing Resource
• AAFA Guidance on Returns, Fitting Rooms, & Items Tried on in Stores During COVID-19
• Supplier Country Lockdown List
• AAFA/WRAP Guidance for the Continued Safe Operation of Factories During COVID-19
• Contact the AAFA team with any questions!
• Join our weekly Coronavirus policy calls for more information.
  
   

THIRD-PARTY RESOURCES:

• State-by-State Business Reopening Guidance (U.S. Chamber of Commerce)
• Real-time COVID-19 tracker, maintained by Johns Hopkins University

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)

Join the conversation on social with #WearAMask 

On December 21, 2020 the Senate reached a deal to inject an additional $900 billion into the economy. Read on with this summary of H.R. 133 and this House Ways and Means Committee release.

AAFA issued this statement welcoming the news that Congress had come to an agreement but emphasizing that more will need to be done to support the U.S. economy in 2021. 

Important updates from the latest stimulus package include Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) extension through March 31 and extension plus expansion of Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC). AAFA will continue to push for additional relief. To take part in these efforts, be sure to join our upcoming Coronavirus Policy Calls, every other Tuesday at 1:00 PM ET.

We need to sustain the economy through stimulus and better management of the COVID-19 pandemic until the economy can sustain itself, and that is not likely until after a vaccine is developed and widely deployed. 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