Indiana to provide some PPE for schools

During his press conference Wednesday afternoon, Governor Eric Holcomb announced the launch of an online PPE directory and a plan to provide personal protective equipment to schools.

As Indiana continues to move forward, it’s important to remain diligent in health and safety practices like mask wearing and sanitizing for the benefit of all Hoosiers,” Gov. Holcomb said. “These initiatives are another step forward in our efforts to remove barriers to critical supplies, and we’re excited to be supporting Indiana businesses in the process as they work to bolster response and recovery across the state and around the world.”

Holcomb announced the state will provide PPE for public, public charter and private schools.

The PPE includes a total of 3 million reusable facemasks for students throughout the state. They will also provide schools with 500 disposable face masks, 100 two or four ounce bottles of hand sanitizer and 10 one gallon jugs of hand sanitizer.

The PPE supplies will be sent in order of schools’ 2020-2021 start dates.

The governor also announced the creation of the Indiana PPE Directory, which replaces the Indiana Small Business PPE Marketplace.

The Indiana PPE Directory features companies in Indiana that manufacture and/or distribute face masks, face shields, gloves, eye protection, hand sanitizer and disinfectant.

All companies featured in the directory have been vetted by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) and must meet the following requirements:

• Must be headquartered or incorporated in Indiana,
• Must be able to fulfill and ship orders within two business days of receipt,
• Offer free shipping to Indiana businesses and nonprofits,
• Have the ability to offer expedited shipping for a cost,
• Must be able to process online orders and credit card payments, and
• Must prioritize orders placed through the directory.