[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Malaysia, which produces more than 70% of the world's medical gloves, has decided to operate its factories at half capacity due to concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), putting the medical industry on high alert, AP News reported on the 25th.
According to the report, the Malaysian government ordered all factories except essential businesses to halt production starting from the 18th. Subsequently, companies producing key items including medical gloves requested the government to grant exceptions to resume operations, and the government reportedly allowed factories to operate at half capacity.
The Malaysian government emphasized that domestic demand must be met before exports. Dennis Low, chairman of the Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association, stated in a press release, "Production halts in our industry would mean stopping an absolute volume of global production," adding, "This would be a disaster worldwide." He also noted that member companies of the association have already received orders for millions of pairs from 190 countries.
AP explained, "Three out of four pairs of medical gloves worldwide are produced in Malaysia." Due to the Malaysian government's measures, countries around the world including the United States and Europe are unable to properly supply medical gloves at a time when they are most needed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Other countries producing medical gloves such as Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Turkey, and China are also unable to operate their factories properly due to the spread of COVID-19.
However, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) lifted the import ban on WRP Asia Pacific, a Malaysian rubber glove manufacturer, on the same day. The ban, imposed since September last year due to allegations of forced labor in glove production in Malaysia, was lifted. CBP explained, "According to the latest information obtained recently by CBP, it has been confirmed that rubber gloves are no longer produced under forced labor conditions."
This appears to be a measure taken considering the serious shortage of medical gloves in the United States, where COVID-19 cases are rapidly increasing. Rachel Gumpert, public relations officer of the Oregon Nurses Association, said, "We are on the edge of a cliff with nothing sufficient," adding, "Medical gloves will run out in a few weeks." In the U.S., product hoarding and rationing systems have appeared, and some hospitals are requesting public donations. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suggested to hospitals not to change gloves when treating patients with the same infectious disease and that the use of cooking gloves is also acceptable.
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