U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Intergovernmental Affairs
Please see the advisory below from our partners in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regarding an update on the Whole-of-America response to COVID-19.
April 22, 2020
FEMA Advisory
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:
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On April 16 , President Trump released Guidelines for Opening America Up Again, providing a plan for rolling back social distancing measures and reopening the country’s economy in several phases, depending on location.
- 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 to reopen safely and responsibly.
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As of April 21 , FEMA, HHS, and the private sector combined have coordinated the delivery of or are currently shipping: 56.9 million N95 respirators, 82.5 million surgical masks, 5.9 million face shields, 12.3 million surgical gowns, 643 million gloves, 10,998 ventilators and 8,450 federal medical station beds.
- FEMA continues to expedite movement of commercially pre-sourced and commercially procured critical supplies from the global market to medical distributors in various locations across the U.S. through Project Airbridge.
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The U.S. has now processed 4.4 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 vast 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.
- Consolidating testing supplies under the IRR simplifies the resource request process for states and territories and alleviates the burden on public health labs on needing to work with separate suppliers for swabs, reagents and other diagnostic testing supplies.
- On April 16 , the FDA announced an expansion of testing options through use of synthetic swabs – with a design similar to Q-tips – to test patients by collecting a sample from the front of the nose.
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On April 21 , New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the state would no longer need the USNS Comfort because of declining cases in New York City.
- The USNS Comfort arrived in Manhattan on March 30 and has treated 182 patients.
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On April 21 , HHS announced $955 million in grants from the Administration for Community Living to help meet the needs of older adults and people with disabilities. This funding is part of the CARES Act.
- The grants will fund home-delivered meals, care services in the home, respite care and other support to families and caregivers, and other support services.
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FEMA Mission
To help people before, during, and after disasters.