About This Lesson
We are continuing to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and are committed to providing AFT locals and affiliates with the information they need to protect our members and the communities they serve.
COVID-19 is spreading rapidly within the United States. President Trump has declared the outbreak a national emergency, as have many states. Nurses and other healthcare workers are responding by caring for patients with COVID-19 in many communities. Protecting healthcare workers from exposure should be a high priority so that they can continue to care for patients without getting sick or spreading the infection to their communities. Unfortunately, many healthcare employers are not prepared, and our members are being denied appropriate respiratory protection.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has relaxed its original personal protection equipment guidance for healthcare workers. Due to shortages in the supply of N95 respirators, the agency now says that healthcare workers caring for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 can use surgical masks or facemasks for personal protective equipment, instead of N95s. The AFT and other unions oppose this move and note that more can be done to protect healthcare workers, including releasing the national stockpile of N95s, promoting the use of powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs) and elastomeric respirators and implementing strong isolation protocols. For more information, see our Response to the CDC Respiratory Protection Guidance Change.
