Loeffler asks HHS for Tools to help States safely reopen Economy

U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) sent a letter asking officials at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) “to take immediate steps” to help states safety reopen their economies.  In the letter sent by Loeffler and 14 other senators to HHS Chief Information Officer Jose Arrieta and Assistant Secretary Admiral Brett Giroir, the senators ask that HHS “move as quickly as possible to build upon and adapt” systems that detect and prevent the spread of infectious diseases, like the coronavirus.  “We request that you move as quickly as possible to build upon and adapt the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state public health departments’ current systems and capabilities to detect and prevent the further spread of the novel coronavirus (nCV),” the senators write. “Your partnership with states is key to your past successes in detecting and reducing the spread of infectious disease in our country.  Given the difficult situation we face today, we urge you to take immediate steps to bolster the federal government’s and states’ testing and disease surveillance systems and infrastructure in order to rapidly expand our understanding of this new virus, who is immune to it and who is not.  As you know, to limit morbidity and mortality from novel coronavirus, the United States economy is engaged in aggressive social distancing measures and is substantially shut down…Quickly knowing who is infected, who may have a significant level of immunity, as well as who are the most vulnerable and need additional protection, is critical to safely reopening the economy. This includes widespread and easily accessible testing for nCV, but also rapid sharing and comprehension of the subsequent test results. Fortunately, currently used systems can meet the need with the significant new investments made in the CARES Act.”  Loeffler was joined in sending the letter by Senators Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Michael Rounds (R-S.D.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa).  Loeffler was named to President Trump’s congressional task force to reopen the economy.