Evoking WWII, Inslee urges manufacturers to produce vital equipment
OLYMPIA — As the COVID-19 outbreak strains supplies of much needed equipment like face masks and test kits nationwide, Gov. Jay Inslee at a Wednesday press conference called on manufacturers in Washington to help fill the gap.
Inslee also said that he would likely have to extend his stay-at-home order. He did not commit to doing so Wednesday, nor did he say for how long that extension might be.
As hospitals, agencies and essential employees across the state struggle to get access to the equipment they need to protect themselves as they show up to work, the state has supplied well over 1 million pieces of personal protective equipment, including face shields, hospital gowns and gloves, Inslee said Wednesday.
But the need will likely exceed that output, added Inslee. He urged Washington manufacturers to rally like many did during World War II to supply equipment to the front lines during the fight against the virus. For those wanting to join the effort, Inslee asked them to visit coronavirus.wa.gov/how-you-can-help.
“We know the need is great for face shields, for gowns, for N95 and surgical masks,” Inslee said. “What we have done so far is not enough. We need to urgently expand the stock of personal protective equipment.”
The governor’s call to action comes as The Washington Post reports that the federal government’s stockpile of masks, gloves and other medical supplies is running low and could soon be exhausted due to the current pandemic.
Inslee said Wednesday that governors aren’t privy to the national stockpile’s current inventory levels but said that outstanding orders for supplies aren’t being met quickly enough. The governor called on President Donald Trump to further invoke the Defense Production Act to require manufacturers to produce needed equipment, but he stressed that the state can’t depend on rescue from the federal government.
“We need to now seize our own destiny,” Inslee said. “In World War II, the people of Washington state built B-29s in Seattle, they built minesweepers in Bainbridge Island and in Kitsap County. And now it’s time for all of us to turn to manufacturing the equipment we need in this fight, in this war, in this century.”
Inslee praised the efforts of some manufacturers, such as outdoor recreational manufacturer Outdoor Research, which has already committed to producing over 100,000 masks per day by the end of April.
“Dan and his team went out and did that even without a specific order in mind, and that is the kind of spirit that we know is alive in Washington, and we want to awaken it,” Inslee said.
Beyond protective equipment such as gloves, surgical gowns and industry-grade face masks, Inslee asked manufacturers to help supply saline solution, as well as the swab tests and vials needed to conduct a COVID-19 test.
“Now that is a request that requires disruption of existing business supply lines, but this is a moment that counts,” Inslee said. “We have great business people, we have great skilled manufacturing people, and I am asking you if you can get into this fight and volunteer to be a soldier in this fight.”
Businesses that could not make the “whole enchilada” could still support the state’s effort by manufacturing components of needed equipment, Inslee said.
Though there are signs that the outbreak is beginning to slow in the hardest hit areas of the Puget Sound region, Inslee reiterated the need to continue social distancing measures, pointing to areas such as Adams, Skagit, Benton and Clark counties, where cases are increasing at a faster rate. Those are the areas, Inslee said, where additional supplies will be most needed in coming weeks.
Even if manufacturers produce more equipment than the state needs during the outbreak, Inslee assured businesses that there will be an essentially “infinite” need for the supplies nationwide.
“The calendar has turned to April, we know that this month will be essential, both in terms of our nation’s response and our state’s response,” Inslee said. “This is a decisive moment.”