Neighbors,
The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has been declared a “public health emergency of international concern” by the World Health Organization (WHO). As your representative in Washington, I promise to advocate for the safety and security of Minnesotans at home and abroad, and I’ll do my best to keep you informed.
In Washington, I’m monitoring the situation closely. The Minneapolis-Saint Paul Airport is one of the busiest in the nation, and thousands of Minnesota businesses and families rely on air travel. That’s why I asked the CDC and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for more information about their contingency plans for air travel restrictions related to the outbreak last month. And today, I teamed up with a bipartisan group of my freshmen colleagues to ask House and Senate leadership for supplemental funding to address the coronavirus outbreak.
I also had the opportunity to ask Sec. Mike Pompeo about the State Department’s plan to keep Americans safe in a Foreign Affairs Committee hearing this morning. We must tackle the emerging coronavirus epidemic with a united front at home and overseas, and ensure that our public health officials are afforded the resources to do so effectively:
| Click here to watch my conversation with Sec. Mike Pompeo about coronavirus |
Whether an outbreak of coronavirus reaches Minnesota or not, we all have a role to play in keeping our community healthy – wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, cover your cough, and please stay home if you are sick.
If you have questions about coronavirus, the Minnesota Department of Health is the best point of contact. You can reach them at 651-201-5414 or online here. If you need assistance with a federal agency related to coronavirus (or anything else), my team is available to help by phone at 952-656-5176, online, in person Monday-Friday from 9:00AM -6:00PM at 13911 Ridgedale Drive, or at weekly mobile office hours.
Keep the faith and keep in touch,
Dean Phillips
Member of Congress
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