Council Helps Secure Large Shipment of Masks for Port of Oakland
A large shipment of surgical masks the Bay Area Council sourced from a manufacturer in China and helped clear customs and other bureaucratic hurdles on behalf of the Port of Oakland arrived this week and will help keep essential operations going at the facility while maintaining worker and public health and safety.
The Council leveraged strong relationships we have developed through our four offices in China over the past decade to identify trusted manufacturers. Over several weeks, we worked closely with the Port of Oakland to secure quotes and product documentation and ensure the masks met all health and other regulatory requirements.
The transaction highlighted the importance of subnational cooperation even as the U.S. and China traded criticism at a national level over responsibility for the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While acknowledging that differences between our two countries exist on a wide range of issues, the Council has always focused on deepening and expanding partnerships to build understanding and develop lasting solutions.
Said Matt Davis, Director of Governmental Affairs for the Port of Oakland/Oakland International Airport: “I just wanted to say thank you for the incredible work of your staff and colleagues to help lead an effort to supply the Port of Oakland’s seaport and airport front line workers with facial coverings and PPE.”
The Council extends our deepest thanks to China’s Ministry of Commerce and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce for Machinery and Electronics for their partnership in helping us identify and connect with manufacturers. We also extend great thanks to member company Amazon Web Services, which provided space for free aboard one of its weekly cargo flights from China.
The shipment comes following two previous deliveries of personal protective equipment the Council helped facilitate in the past two weeks, including a donation of 1,000 masks for emergency childcare workers and 650 masks for workers in San Francisco’s homeless shelter system.
