WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will redistribute personal protective equipment to emergency personnel in New York and New Jersey.
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According to authorities, the equipment redistributed was confiscated from price gougers and includes nearly 200,000, 598,000 medical grade gloves and 130,000 surgical masks, procedure masks, N100 masks, surgical gowns, disinfectant towels, particulate filters, bottles of hand sanitizer, and bottles of spray disinfectant.
The owner of the hoarded equipment will be paid the pre-COVID-19 fair market value for the supplies.
RELATED: FBI, U.S. Attorney to investigate hoarding of scarce supplies amid coronavirus pandemic
“If you are amassing critical medical equipment for the purpose of selling it at exorbitant prices, you can expect a knock at your door,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “The Department of Justice’s COVID-19 Hoarding and Price Gouging Task Force is working tirelessly around the clock with all our law enforcement partners to ensure that bad actors cannot illicitly profit from the COVID-19 pandemic facing our nation.”
Michigan residents are urged to report any violation of the Consumer Protection Act online or by calling 877-765-8388.
READ MORE: How to report price gouging in Michigan
Question about coronavirus? Ask Dr. McGeorge here.
Anyone who believes they might have coronavirus should follow the CDC guidelines. Michigan.gov has a list of resources available to those concerned about COVID-19.
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