March 20, 2020—During the ongoing spread of the COVID-19 virus, the Department of Homeland Security has issued a memorandum on its initial list of "Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers" to help state and local officials as they work to protect their communities.
The list includes "automotive repair and maintenance facilities" and "Employees who repair and maintain vehicles, aircraft, rail equipment, marine vessels, and the equipment and infrastructure that enables operations that encompass movement of cargo and passengers."
The Automotive Service Association (ASA) has also issued a letter to reinforce the critical role that automotive service and repair professionals have. ASA has submitted a letter to the National Governors Association, U.S. Conference of Mayors, National Association of Counties and the National League of Cities.
ASA is urging repair facilities to go to this link to write to their mayors and city council members and ask them to ensure:
- Local policies take into account the important role of motor vehicle repair facilities, and
- Essential businesses remain available to continue to support the work of other businesses during this critical time.
This follows ASA contacting members of Congress reiterating that the outbreak of COVID-19 has rapidly been impacting small businesses, such as automotive service providers and suppliers, that do not have the ability to switch their core functions to a remote operation.
