PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Protective Clothing (19 March 2020)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether personal protective equipment will be provided to (a) police officers (b) front line workers in pharmacies and (c) front line workers in community organisations.

Asked by:
Fleur Anderson (Labour)

The Government published ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): personal protective equipment (PPE) plan’ on 10 April. It incorporates guidance on who needs PPE and when they need it, routes to ensure those who need it can get it at the right time and sets out actions to secure enough PPE to last through the crisis.

The PPE stock in Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) should be distributed only where there is a clear and pressing need and in line with the latest clinical guidance. This is intended to support LRFs who have been advised to prioritise local distribution to those that have close unavoidable contact with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases including highly vulnerable groups. This may include services such as police, community pharmacies and some other vital community services, only where they are unable to obtain PPE through their usual supply routes for PPE and there remains an urgent need for additional stock.

PPE is not required when frontline workers can remain more than two metres away from anyone showing signs of COVID-19. Local services should make every effort to redesign services to minimise the number of frontline workers in close contact with symptomatic people, both to protect those workers and to minimise demand for PPE.

The plan can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-personal-protective-equipment-ppe-plan

Answered by:
Jo Churchill (Conservative)
28 April 2020