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Wexton Hosts Virtual Town Hall on Coronavirus Crisis

LOUDOUN NOW: Wexton Hosts Virtual Town Hall on Coronavirus Crisis

By Patrick Szabo

Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA-10), alongside Loudoun County Health Department Director Dr. David Goodfriend and Inova Clinical Enterprise Support Operations Senior Vice President Susan Carroll, held a virtual town hall Tuesday night to address resident concerns surrounding the coronavirus crisis.

Wexton started the session off by mentioning that phase one of Congress’s response to the coronavirus crisis is complete—the passing of a an $8.3 billion funding package that provides $2.2 billion in public health funding for prevention, preparedness and response; more than $3 billion for research and development of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics; and nearly $1 billion for medical supplies, health care

Wexton said phase two happened on Saturday, when the House voted to pass the Families First Coronavirus Response Act—legislation that, once passed by the Senate and signed off on by President Donald Trump, will provide many workers with 14 days of paid sick leave, paid family and medical leave and free COVID-19 tests for those who need them.

When asked why the act would provide that sick leave only to businesses with less than 500 employees, Wexton said the bill was the result of negotiation among Congrees members and that phase three could close those types of coverage gaps. She added that she would like to see all working Americans paid sick leave.

The three were also asked if the government would place limits on the purchase of sanitization products. Wexton urged residents to buy only what they need.

“Nobody needs to be hoarding anything,” she said. “The supply lines are up.”

Goodfriend pointed out that by stockpiling sanitization products, store shelves are being emptied, which is forcing many residents to travel to multiple stores to find what they need—increasing the risk of the virus being spread.

Another resident asked the three about their thoughts on a state-mandated curfew. Goodfriend said that while Gov. Ralph Northam has been “very forward thinking,” “aggressive” and “protecting,” a curfew might not be necessary.

In addition to answering questions, Carroll made a few announcements about the Inova hospital system. She noted that Inova is converting some of its beds to ICU-level beds and that late Tuesday afternoon, she got the call that the Strategic National Stockpile would be releasing an abundance of personal protective equipment to Virginia.

Carroll said it’s important to practice social distancing not only because it can flatten the infection curve of coronavirus, but also because it can help to stop the spread of other respiratory illnesses, like influenza.

Wexton encouraged residents to gather resources on the crisis at Wexton.house.gov.