USTR Adds and Extends COVID Treatment Exclusions From Section 301 Tariffs
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will extend exclusions on goods used to treat COVID-19 from the Section 301 tariffs on goods from China, it said in a notice posted on the agency's website. “In light of the rising spread and ongoing efforts to combat COVID-19, the U.S. Trade Representative has determined that maintaining or re-imposing additional duties on certain products subject to the action no longer is appropriate and that the application of additional duties to these products could impact U.S. preparedness to address COVID-19,” it said.
The extended exclusions will apply through March 31. Nearly all other Section 301 exclusions are set to expire at the end of the year if USTR doesn't issue more extensions. The extended exclusions will now be listed in U.S. Notes 20 (ooo), (ppp), (qqq), and (rrr) and will be filed under subheadings 9903.88.62, 9903.88.63, 9903.88.64 and 9903.88.65, respectively. See the notice for a full list of extended exclusions, as well as a concurrence table showing where the exclusions will now be found in the tariff schedule.
USTR said it also added some additional products to the list of goods covered by the exclusions. The new exclusions will be in effect as of Jan. 1 and expire March 31. The new exclusions include the following subheadings and product descriptions:
- 9025.19.8010
- 9025.19.8020
- 9025.19.8060
- 9025.19.8085
- 6307.90.7200
- 3808.94.1000
- 3808.94.5010
- 3808.94.5050
- 3808.94.5090
- Ultrasonic scanning apparatus, each having dimensions not exceeding 122 cm by 77 cm by 127 cm, whether or not presented with transducer (described in statistical reporting number 9018.12.0000)
- Blood pressure monitors suitable for use by medical professionals (described in statistical reporting number 9018.19.9530)
- Anesthetic instruments and appliances suitable for use in medical or surgical sciences, and parts and accessories of the foregoing (described in statistical reporting number 9018.90.3000)
- Hand soaps and hand sanitizers in the form of liquid or cream put up for retail sale, other than hand sanitizers of heading 3808 (described in statistical reporting number 3401.30.5000)
- Flexible oxygen tubes, pipes and hoses presented with integrated molded connectors, of polyvinyl chloride (described in statistical reporting number 3917.33.0000)
- Sacks and bags of polymers of ethylene, reclosable, qualifying as Class 1 medical devices by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration under product code NNI (described in statistical reporting number 3923.21.0030)
- Aprons, of plastics, of a kind used as personal protection equipment (described in statistical reporting number 3926.20.9010)
- Data input devices each with display capabilities of a kind used for magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”) equipment, computed tomography (“CT”) equipment, intraoperative X-ray (“IXR”) equipment or patient monitors (described in statistical reporting number 8537.10.9170)
- Face shields of transparent plastics, whether or not assembled (described in statistical reporting number 3926.90.9950)
- Ultrasonic scanning apparatus, each having dimensions not exceeding 122 cm by 77 cm by 127 cm, whether or not presented with transducer (described in statistical reporting number 9018.12.0000).