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FEMA ADVISORY – April 25, 2020
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic: Whole-of-America Response
Attached you will find today’s FEMA Daily Briefing Points for the Whole-of-America response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. These briefing points include Topline Messages, as well as Supply Chain Task Force; By the Numbers; FEMA and Department of Health and Human Services Response; and Guidance from Federal Agencies.
Topline messaging includes:
- On April 16, President Trump released Guidelines for Opening Up America Again, providing a plan for rolling back social distancing measures and reopening the country’s economy in several phases, depending on location.
- Vice President Pence spoke with the Nation’s governors on April 24, reinforcing the partnership between the federal and state governments and the continued progress to expand and implement testing to be able to reopen safely and responsibly under the phased approach.
- Under the guidelines, states will need to meet six metrics that include demonstrating a downward trajectory of COVID-19 cases over a 14-day period and a robust system for testing health care workers before they can proceed to a phased opening
- The federal government will continue to work with governors across the country to ensure they have the equipment, supplies and testing resources.
- During the April 24 White House Press Briefing, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn announced that the FDA had approved the first COVID-19 home collection test kit.
- The FDA continues to facilitate test development to ensure access to accurate diagnostics, working with over 350 test developers and authorizing 63 types of tests to date.
- On April 24, President Trump signed the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act to replenish the Small Business Administration’s small business loan program while also providing crucial support for America’s frontline medical workers.
- The act provides $320 billion in additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program, along with $75 billion for hospitals and healthcare providers to fight coronavirus and $25 billion for ongoing testing across the country
- The Paycheck Protection Program processed nearly $350 billion in loans to 1.6 million small businesses from funding provided in the CARES Act. More than 4,900 lending institutions participated in making these SBA-backed loans.
- As of April 24, FEMA, HHS, and the private sector combined have coordinated the delivery of or are currently shipping: 70.5 million N95 respirators, 104.5 million surgical masks, 7 million face shields, 14.8 million surgical gowns, 779.1 million gloves, 10,563 ventilators and 8,450 federal medical station beds.
- The U.S. has now processed 5.1 million samples, which is more total tests than the following nations combined: Australia, Austria, Canada, France, India, Japan, Singapore, Sweden, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.
- States should be making full use of the testing resources available to them, to include leveraging the full capacity available through commercial laboratories in addition to the capability provided through state laboratories.
- HHS and FEMA have expanded items supplied by the International Reagent Resource (IRR) to help public health labs access free diagnostics supplies and reagents.
Contact Us
If you have any questions regarding this FEMA Advisory, please contact FEMA Office of External Affairs, Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs Division:
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FEMA Mission
To help people before, during and after disasters.
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