Senator Hassan Statement on Participation in Bipartisan White House Task Force on Reopening in the Wake of COVID-19

NEW HAMPSHIRE – Today, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan will participate in an 11 AM call with President Trump as a member of a new bipartisan White House task force consisting of Senators and Members of the House of Representatives to provide counsel to the President on reopening the economy in the wake of COVID-19. Ahead of the President’s first call with Senators today, Senator Hassan released the following statement:

“Governors, local officials, and public health experts will decide when and how to safely begin reopening states and communities. The federal government’s role is to provide guidance and to ensure that states have the resources and support that they need, and I will participate in the President's task force to ensure that New Hampshire's perspective is heard. 

"By practicing social distancing and following public health guidelines put forward by Governor Sununu and state health officials, Granite Staters have made a real difference in slowing the spread of COVID-19. That must continue. 

“We cannot address our economic situation without an effective public health plan to contain the spread of the virus. We need leadership from the administration to massively increase the number of diagnostic and antibody tests, expand contact tracing to identify who may have been exposed, and fix persistent supply chain issues around personal protective equipment and other medical supplies. 

“We must also acknowledge that even when we begin to reopen the economy, the virus will remain a significant threat until a vaccine can be made affordable and available to all. Without a widely available vaccine, there may be times when we have to reinstate aggressive social distancing guidelines to address new outbreaks and hotspots. The road ahead will be difficult, but by working together, we will get through this.”

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