News

ISSA Urges Governors to Prioritize the Cleaning Industry for COVID-19 Vaccines

ISSA has asked the governors of every U.S. state and territory for their assistance in ensuring the entire cleaning supply chain is able to continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic without interruption.

In a December 11, 2020 letter to governors, ISSA Executive Director John H. Barrett states, “Our members are on the front lines of protecting the public health…” Accordingly, it is imperative essential workers in the cleaning industry have “prioritized access to COVID-19 vaccines to help minimize disruptions in the supply chain of manufacturing and distributing cleaning and hygiene-related products that are critical to public health. It is equally as important that frontline workers tasked with cleaning and disinfecting also are protected. Our members are working tirelessly to help prevent the further spread of this deadly virus.”

Barrett points out that, in March of this year, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, deemed the cleaning industry as “essential.” (See version 4.0 of CISA’s essential worker guidance) He also acknowledges ISSA support for the governors’ efforts to prioritize access to COVID-19 vaccines and understanding that “these are difficult decisions to make.” Earlier this month, ISSA sent a similar letter calling for prioritized access to COVID-19 vaccines for the cleaning industry to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

Take action now: Using ISSA’s Action Center, please take a moment to urge your elected officials to prioritize cleaning industry access to COVID-19 vaccines. For questions regarding ISSA advocacy, including this recent letter to governors, please contact ISSA Director of Government Affairs John Nothdurft.