Auto Repair Is Essential, Trade Groups Tell Officials

March 19, 2020

Six trade associations, including the Tire Industry Association and the Auto Care Association, are calling on government officials to consider the importance of auto repair facilities "in implementing orders to close nonessential businesses as a result of the coronavirus."  

In a letter sent this week to the National Governors Association, National Association of Counties, U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities, the groups said that “essential tasks rely on safe and efficient transportation. Government vehicle fleets (local, state and federal) and other essential personnel (doctors, nurses, healthcare provider, grocers, etc.) depend on businesses that support the safe operation of the transportation sector. Public and private transportation services are necessary to ensure the public may complete essential trips, including purchasing food and medicine or caring for loved ones. Businesses that provide the support or supplies necessary to operate must therefore also be deemed essential.”  

They also wrote that “the careful implementation of policies that restrict movement and business operations to ensure that businesses that provide critical support for public care and well-being are excluded from such restrictions.”

A copy of the letter can be found here.