Two Federal Maritime Commissioners, Carl Bentzel as well as Daniel Maffei, are prompting that quick COVID-19 screening be provided asap to the necessary UNITED STATE maritime workforce, whose participants ought to additionally be focused on for very early inoculation.
In a letter to Maritime Administrator Rear Admiral Mark H. Buzby as well as CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, MD, they keep in mind that “within the last month there have been at least three major COVID-19 outbreaks (Charleston, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles/Long Beach) impacting the immediate health of the workforce, causing substantial requirements for quarantine, and threatening freight movement through these ports.”
“If the maritime, port, and sealift workforces are infected, then our supply chain essentially will become infected,” they create. “We appreciate the Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) ongoing efforts in prioritizing vaccine testing and distribution, ensuring the marine transportation system continues to support critical commercial operations and military capabilities. It is imperative we ensure port operations and continuity of the labor workforce through the provision of protective health supplies, rapid testing supplies, and vaccination availability. We envision MARAD as best suited to raise the issue of need for Federal and state support to ensure port continuity with the provision of rapid testing supplies and vaccines.”
Following is the complete message of the letter:
FEDERAL MARITIME PAYMENT
Office of Commissioner Carl W. Bentzel
Office of Commissioner Daniel B. Maffei
Washington, D.C. 20573
December 3, 2020
Rear Admiral Mark H. Buzby
Maritime Administrator
UNITED STATE Department of Transportation Maritime Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20590
Robert R. Redfield, MD,
Director
Centers for Disease Control as well as Prevention
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201
Dear Admiral Buzby as well as Doctor Redfield:
We contact you, as specific Commissioners, pertaining to an immediate problem presently encountering the health and wellness of our necessary maritime labor workforce that left unaddressed could have instant as well as lasting obstacles to the fluidness of our supply chain. With current COVID-19 episodes affecting the maritime labor workforce as well as port procedures, we highly suggest that quick COVID-19 screening be provided to the UNITED STATE maritime labor workforce asap. Looking in advance, as inoculations come online, we additionally suggest that this market labor force be identified as a top priority for very early inoculation offered the continuous duty it will certainly play in relocating crucial clinical products, PPE, as well as vaccinations.
As you understand, the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity as well as Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) classified longshore labor as well as various other port as well as intermodal transportation employees as necessary employees. We can not concur a lot more with this category for this often-overlooked section of our nationwide labor force. The maritime as well as port labor forces have actually been as well as remain to be an underpublicized success tale in maintaining our Nation afloat throughout the financial misplacement brought on by COVID-19.
If the maritime, port, as well as sealift labor forces are contaminated, after that our supply chain basically will end up being contaminated. We value the Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) continuous initiatives in focusing on vaccination screening as well as circulation, guaranteeing the aquatic transport system remains to sustain crucial industrial procedures as well as armed forces abilities. It is important we make sure port procedures as well as connection of the labor workforce with the arrangement of safety health and wellness products, quick screening products, as well as inoculation accessibility. We picture MARAD as finest fit to increase the problem of demand for Federal as well as state assistance to make sure port connection with the arrangement of quick screening products as well as vaccinations.
To day, nearly on a port-by-port basis, the market has actually created its very own methods, to apply health and wellness safety and security requirements. During this moment, the market has securely as well as efficiently relocated shopping, durable goods, PPE, as well as various other important products everyday, when employees in lots of various other components of our economic situation are jobless or functioning from their residences.
However, within the last month there have actually gone to the very least 3 significant COVID-19 episodes (Charleston, Philadelphia, as well as Los Angeles/Long Beach) affecting the instant health and wellness of the labor force, creating significant needs for quarantine, as well as harmful products motion with these ports.
To fight as well as alleviate the spread of COVID-19 within the South Carolina port labor force, as an example, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) as well as South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) authorized a contract for MUSC Business Health to provide healthcare as well as health solutions to port employees in the Charleston area. This arrangement was started by financing by the South Carolina Governor as well as has actually equated right into quick screening accessibility while promoting the recognition of asymptomatic employees. Further, this collaboration will certainly make it possible for the monitoring of possible large COVID-19 episodes as well as alleviate the influence of rise infections that can threaten the supply chain.
A mix of blockage problems as well as the possible COVID-19 labor force interruption is a massive threat to our economic situation. Congestion problems connected to freight rises are creating extraordinary problems in our nationwide supply chain. The convergence of the continuous demand for PPE, unanticipated adjustments in customer buying patterns because of the closures, as well as the approaching holiday has actually caused enormous need for imports. Industry professionals think these products quantity rises will certainly proceed right into 2021.
Also, impending big, is the increase for the transportation of vaccinations for COVID-19, which can start as early as this month. The delivery market is currently establishing unique treatments with ports, which are specific to include added stress in what has actually currently been a challenging year for our supply chain as well as labor force. As an instance, the Maersk delivery line has actually currently started collaborating with vaccination programmers, worldwide help firms as well as public health and wellness authorities to give wide supply chain assistance for the worldwide implementation of vaccinations as well as vaccine-related freight. To reduce interruption to the supply chain at this perilous time, maritime as well as port labor need to be a critical team for inoculation, once it is readily available.
Finally, we wish to recognize the obstacles as well as the supreme significance of the market’s initiatives to maintain us provided throughout COVID-19. All the employees that report to operate at delivery lines, railways as well as trucking business, longshore workers as well as various other maritime market provider are encountering the everyday obstacles of COVID-19 while still doing the job. They deserve our praise as well as many thanks.
The Federal federal government remains in a distinct placement to start, work with as well as utilize market, state, as well as neighborhood collaborations to satisfy the requirements of our labor workforce as well as supply chain. Our supply chain, like our health and wellness, will certainly not be secure as well as effective if it is not collaborating. We thanks beforehand for your interest to this crucial problem.
Sincerely,
Commissioner Carl W. Bentzel, Commissioner Daniel B. Maffei
CC:
The Honorable Alex Azar, Secretary, Department of Health as well as Human Services
Acting Secretary, Chad F. Wolf, Department of Homeland Security
The Honorable Roger Wicker, Chairman Senate Commerce Committee
The Honorable Maria Cantwell, Ranking Member, Senate Commerce Committee
The Honorable Peter DeFazio, Chairman, House Transportation & & Infrastructure Committee
The Honorable Sam Graves, Ranking Member, House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee
