Tag: COVID-19

Why canceling events makes sense in the age of COVID-19

The Hill logoGovernments, businesses and sports leagues are taking drastic steps to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus that has infected more than 1,300 people across the United States.

The measures, virtually unprecedented in the century since the Spanish flu that killed more than 50 million people around the globe, are aimed at reducing the transmission of the potentially life-threatening virus between those already infected and those who are at risk.

Public health experts say the steps are necessary, even critical, to stop the spread of the virus. The difference between fast action now and further delays, they said, will determine whether the outbreak in the United States looks more like the one in South Korea, where COVID-19 case counts are coming under control, or more like the one in Italy, where the outbreak is already swamping the health care system. Continue reading.

Rep. Dean Phillips Coronavirus Briefing Invitation

Hi Deb,

The presence of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Minnesota is cause for concern but not cause for panic. We all have a role to play in keeping our communities safe and healthy, and I know you might have questions. That is why I am inviting you to join me and U.S. Senator Tina Smith on a free and open-to-the-public coronavirus briefing callwith state and local public health experts at 6:00 PM CST on Monday, March 16th.

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Dial 855-927-0897 at 6:00 PM CST on Monday, March 16th
to join our coronavirus briefing call

Let me know what questions you have about coronavirus by submitting them here – we’ll answer as many questions as possible. You can join in by dialing 855-927-0897 or streaming online here at 6:00 PM on Monday. If you’d prefer to receive a call, please register here.

Coronavirus Update

The coronavirus outbreak has officially been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). As your representative in Washington, I’m monitoring the situation closely. I promise to advocate for the safety and security of all Minnesotans at home and abroad, and I’ll do my best to keep you informed. My team and I have launched a coronavirus information center at phillips.house.gov/coronavirus, where you’ll find a collection of useful and up-to-date information.

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Most individuals with coronavirus will experience minor symptoms and will not require hospitalization. But please, remember to 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. While closings, social distancing, and changes to our daily routines can generate fear, please know it’s the pragmatic and responsible approach to protecting our healthcare professionals and ensuring hospital capacity can meet expected demand. We will succeed together.

Still Working to Help YOU

The U.S. Capitol is closed to the public at this time, but my office in Minnetonka will remain open at reduced hours from 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM for the foreseeable future in order to continue serving you. As a constituent, you can still:

  • Call my offices in Washington (202-225-2871) and Minnetonka (952-656-5176). If you reach our voicemail during business hours and leave a message, a member of my team will return your call within 24 hours.
  • Reach out for assistance. If you need help with a federal agency, we may be able to help.
  • Send emails and letters. The best way to contact my office is by sending me an email.
  • Schedule meetings. You can still meet with a member of my team by contacting the appropriate office. Please note that, for the time being, meetings will need to occur via telephone or video-conference except in case of emergency.

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 and online.

Keep the faith and keep in touch,

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Dean Phillips
Member of Congress

How K-12 Schools Should Prepare for Coronavirus

Center for American Progress logoThe new coronavirus is spreading rapidly, forcing school leaders to consider and prepare for school closures as the virus spreads and infection counts increase. District and school leaders, along with public health officials, will have to make tough decisions with imperfect information on just how widespread infections are in their area and balance that against the multitude of effects that closures would have on families and communities. In addition to their educational mission, schools are a critical provider of nutrition for nearly 30 million children; provide important services for 7 million students with disabilities; and are a source of child care for the tens of millions of parents who work outside of the home.

According to Education Week, as of March 11, 2020, there are more than 1,500 schools closed or scheduled to close out of the more than 130,000 public and private schools nationwide. These closures and pending closures affect more than 1 million students—or nearly 2 percent of the more than 55 million school-age children nationwide—and could increase substantially in coming days.

Just as the most severe health risks from COVID-19 are likely to be concentrated among the elderly and people with underlying medical conditions, the economic effects of the pandemic are likely to be concentrated among financially vulnerable workers with variable schedules, those who rely on tips, and those who lack paid sick leave and adequate health insurance. The impacts of school closures will amplify those effects if remote work is not an option for parents and access to child nutrition and services for students with disabilities are reduced. Continue reading.

A President Unequal to the Moment

Crises clarify. The bigger the crisis, the more the clarity, which is why the incompetence, dishonesty, and sheer callousness of the Trump Presidency have been clearer in recent days than ever before. As the coronavirus, as of Wednesday an official pandemic, spreads, the lives of Americans depend on the decisions made—or not made, as the case may be—by a President uniquely ill-suited to command in this type of public-health catastrophe. In that sense, the last few weeks may well have been the most clarifying of Donald Trump’s Presidency.

In a prime-time address to the nation on Wednesday night, Trump declared war on the “foreign virus,” blaming first China and then the European Union for spreading it, and insisting that it carried “very, very low risk” for Americans. The starkly militaristic and nationalistic tone of the address sounded scary and ignorant and utterly inadequate at a time when the country is being radically upended, with travel halting, workplaces and schools shuttering, and hospitals bracing for impact. The “foreign virus” will not be contained or shut out by a European travel ban, which the President announced, any more than it was by a China travel ban, which he had previously decreed. It is already here in states across the nation, and experts warn that it could infect millions and kill hundreds of thousands in a worst-case scenario. Trump spoke little about that, beyond a vague nudge to Congress to pass a payroll tax cut and a warning to “elderly Americans” to be “very, very careful” and avoid “nonessential travel.” He failed to explain or even address the shocking lack of testing of Americans—a stark contrast to the response by other countries—and did not warn the public about or advise them on how to handle the difficult days ahead. Even the major measure that he announced, the European travel ban, required immediate clarification and correction from Administration officials who said it did not apply to trade, as Trump indicated in his remarks, or permanent residents. His former homeland-security adviser, Thomas Bossert, immediately panned the ban as a “poor use of time & energy.”

In short, Trump was detached from the unfolding reality of a global crisis that is unlike any in memory. I’ve watched Presidential speeches for a few decades now. I cannot recall one that was less equal to the moment. Continue reading.

Rudy Gobert, first NBA player found to have coronavirus, apologizes: ‘I was careless and have no excuse’

Washington Post logoRudy Gobert, the first NBA player found to have coronavirus, posted an apology Thursday for his “careless” behavior.

“I hope my story serves as a warning and causes everyone to take this seriously,” the Utah Jazz’s all-star center said in a message posted to Instagram.

On Monday, Rudy Gobert had joked with members of the media by making sure to touch all the microphones and recording devices reporters had placed on the table in front of him as he left a news conference. Continue reading.

Trump White House blocks states from expanding Medicaid to fight coronavirus

AlterNet logoDespite pleas from states around the country, the Trump administration is still blocking them from using Medicaid more aggressively to combat coronavirus.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the administration’s decision runs contrary to decisions made by both Republican and Democratic White Houses.

“In previous emergencies, including the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina and the H1N1 flu outbreak, both Republican and Democratic administrations loosened Medicaid rules to empower states to meet surging needs,” the paper reports. “But months into the current global disease outbreak, the White House and senior federal health officials haven’t taken the necessary steps to give states simple pathways to fully leverage the mammoth safety net program to prevent a wider epidemic.” Continue reading.

McConnell cancels Senate break over coronavirus

The Hill logoSenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced Thursday that the Senate will cancel next week’s recess to say in town to craft coronavirus legislation.

The decision comes after growing calls from within the GOP caucus to cancel the upcoming break. Senators had been scheduled to leave town for a weeklong recess as soon as Thursday afternoon.

“Notwithstanding the scheduled state work period, the Senate will be in session next week. I am glad talks are ongoing between the Administration and Speaker Pelosi,” McConnell tweeted.

 

Miami mayor tests positive after meeting with Brazilian government aide who also has coronavirus

Washington Post logoMiami Mayor Francis Suarez has tested positive for covid-19, he said in an interview with the Miami Herald Friday morning, days after attending an event with a Brazilian government aide who also has the novel coronavirus.

In a statement Suarez issued Friday morning, the mayor encouraged those who had close contact with him to isolate for 14 days and monitor their health for flu-like symptoms.

Suarez, along with the mayor of Miami-Dade and 21 Miami police officers, opted to self-quarantine after Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s press secretary, Fabio Wajngarten, tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Herald reported. Continue reading.

Coronavirus burial pits so vast they’re visible from space

Washington Post logoIranian authorities began digging a pair of trenches for victims just days after the government disclosed the initial outbreak. Together, their lengths are that of a football

Two days after Iran declared its first cases of the novel coronavirus — in what would become one of the largest outbreaks of the illness outside of China — evidence of unusual activity appeared at a cemetery near where the infections emerged.

At the Behesht-e Masoumeh complex in Qom, about 80 miles south of Tehran, the excavation of a new section of the graveyard began as early as Feb. 21, satellite images show, and then rapidly expanded as the virus spread. By the end of the month, two large trenches — their lengths totaling 100 yards — were visible at the site from space.

According to expert analysis, video testimony and official statements, the graves were dug to accommodate the rising number of virus victims in Qom. Continue reading.

 

Statement from Speaker Hortman and Majority Leader Winkler on Governor Walz’s COVID-19 proposals

House DFL logoSAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Majority Leader Ryan Winkler released the following statement on Governor Walz’s COVID-19 legislative proposals:

“We strongly support the proposals from Governor Walz to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these proposals have already been introduced in the Minnesota House of Representatives, and legislators are already working closely with state agencies and experts to enact measures quickly. We will work with Senate Republicans to mitigate damage from COVID-19 and ensure the physical and economic well-being of all Minnesotans.”