WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema spoke in a Senate Commerce Aviation Subcommittee hearing, calling for immediate bipartisan, bicameral action to protect Arizonans from COVID-19. Sinema highlighted the need to devote resources to vaccine development, reimburse states and local governments for public health expenses, and ensure information systems are in place to limit the spread of the virus through international travel.
“In the face of a public health crisis, we must work together and share the burden of keeping Americans safe both here and abroad from a potential global pandemic,” said Sinema.
Today, Sinema wrote Vice President Pence about the need for the federal government to implement a single online webform to collect information directly from travelers for more complete, accurate, and timely data.
Sinema recently introduced bipartisan coronavirus legislation with Republican Senator Deb Fischer (NE) to ensure critical respirators used to protect patients and keep health workers safe have liability coverage and are available for use by Arizona communities.
Currently, only FDA-approved surgical respirators have liability protections. Respirators used outside of surgery, including the N95 respirator, are not eligible for liability protections, putting manufacturers of respirators and health facilities that distribute these respirators at risk. Ensuring non-surgical respirators that are critical to protecting against the coronavirus have liability coverage will increase access to respirators, keep health workers safe, and help safeguard the health of all Arizonans.
Sinema has also added a resources page to her website, www.sinema.senate.gov, for Arizonans looking for the latest information on coronavirus.
