20/30 Labs Ltd is a privately owned [UKAS][0] accredited testing laboratory specialising in the decontamination of medical devices and environmental microbiology. We work with over 90 hospitals throughout the UK and actively support the NHS and the healthcare industry. We hold accreditation for the microbiological research, validation and verification of Medical Devices. We are one of the few laboratories worldwide to hold this accreditation. Additionally, our CEO is the Research Director of the Institute of Decontamination Sciences (IDSc), the UK's biggest professional medical device reprocessing body as well as an Associate Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Northampton. In response to the current pandemic, the demand for PPE such as facemasks, gloves, protective coveralls, as well as medical devices such as surgical masks, exploration gloves and gowns, has seen exponential growth. Frontline Healthcare staff are struggling to access, and lack confidence in, the supply on face masks and other critical PPE. This issue goes beyond hospitals, affecting other sectors: care homes, in home carers and pharmacists. Because of the global shortage of PPE resulting from Covid-19 it is critical that the UK understand if it is a possibility to reprocess PPE, and if it is possible, to have access to guidance on how to safely re-process facemasks for emergency use effectively to protect our healthcare workers and prevent infection spread. This urgently requires the investigation, and if appropriate, the validation and reporting of a method to re-process facemasks in hospitals for emergency use in order to relieve the demand on suitable PPE and futureproof our healthcare industry. The project will have one of 2 outcomes: 1\. Knowledge that facemasks can be re-processed, and guidance on appropriate methods on how to safely re-process facemasks for emergency use in hospitals. 2\. Knowledge that facemasks cannot be re-processed, and therefore scientific evidence to prevent re-processing during the pandemic and beyond. 20/30 Labs have the skill set, equipment and facilities to undertake this study, rapidly. 20/30 Labs field calls daily regarding the reprocessing of PPE. The project will ensure that our healthcare workers are kept as safe as possible during this pandemic and beyond. [0]: http://www.ukas.com/ "UKAS"