Trump Seeks to Halt US Company Exporting Masks to Latin America and Canada

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – One day after President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Production Act, a legislation created in the 1950s to force industrial giant 3M to increase the pace of mask manufacturing used by medical professionals treating people infected with the coronavirus, the company alerted to the potential impacts of the measure on the rest of the world.

In a statement published on Friday morning, 3M, one of the world’s largest mask manufacturers, said it has been expanding its production capacity to meet government demand. This also includes importing millions of masks from the company’s units in China.

The company praises the use of the law, which has prioritized requests made by Fema, the government body in charge of acting in disaster situations.

However, 3M challenges a second part of Trump’s order, which is clear in demanding that the company suspend all masks exports, now mainly to Latin America and Canada.

“There are significant humanitarian implications arising from the suspension of mask supplies to health workers in Latin America and Canada, where we are critical suppliers of this equipment,” the note said.

The company also alerts to adverse effects on Americans as well.

“By suspending exports of masks produced in the US, other countries may retaliate and do the same, as they have already done. If this happens, the number of masks available to the US would decrease in practice. It’s the opposite of what we and the government, on behalf of the American people, want.”

During this Friday’s press conference, Trump made it clear that he will sign a new order preventing not only the export of masks, but also other items and medical supplies used to fight the coronavirus, something that could generate new reactions around the world.

‘A mistake’

In Canada, a country that does not manufacture the N95 masks, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stressed the need to keep supply lines open and said it would be “a mistake to create blockages or reduce trade” between the two countries:

“There are medical products and other essential items moving across the border in both directions… there are items Americans rely on,” Trudeau noted.

On Thursday, hours after the announcement of resorting to the Cold War law against 3M, Trump himself went on Twitter to attack the company and say he was “not happy” with it.

“We hit 3M hard after seeing what they were doing with their masks. ‘P Act’ (Defense Production Act) ahead. A big surprise to many in the government with what they are doing – they will pay a high price for this!”

Earlier, the president’s trade advisor, Peter Navarro, had followed the same line.

“To be honest, the last few days we’ve been having trouble ensuring that of all the production that 3M delivers around the world, enough of it gets here, to the right places,” Navarro said during the daily press conference at the White House. “We’re going to solve this 3M issue probably tomorrow. We can’t waste days or hours or even minutes in this crisis”.

Cloth masks

While the controversy over masks for healthcare professionals does not seem to have an end in sight, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has issued a recommendation for all US residents to wear cloth masks when leaving home. The proposal has been discussed in recent days as part of measures to try to control the spread of the virus in the country.

Speaking about the measure, President Donald Trump said it does not replace the federal government’s recommendations or the local rules of states and cities. But he stressed that the action is voluntary.

“You may wear them, you may not. I chose not to, but some people might want to, and it’s okay,” he said during the daily press conference at the White House.

Asked about the reasons behind the recommendation, Jerome Adams, the country’s public health administrator, said it was due to the fact that asymptomatic individuals can spread the disease, unaware they are infected.