01.24.20

Hoeven Statement on Coronavirus Outbreak

Senator Received Briefing from CDC, NIH, Health Leaders on Containing Viral Outbreak Originating in China

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today released the following statement after attending a briefing this morning with officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH) and U.S. State Department on efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which originated in China’s Wuhan province.

“We were briefed today by officials from the CDC, NIH and State Department on important steps being put in place to help ensure the coronavirus does not spread in the U.S., and to identify anyone who may already be infected,” said Hoeven. “The federal government is working very closely not only with China but with our health care community to try to make sure that the proper precautions are being put in place, including screenings and ensuring health care providers across the country have the necessary information and resources to look for potential symptoms, which is a vitally important layer of protection to detect and prevent coronavirus from spreading.”

The senator outlined the three tier approach being taken to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, including:

  • Screening individuals coming out of the Wuhan province.
  • Rerouting U.S.-bound travelers from the Wuhan province to five U.S. airports for special screening. Travelers from Wuhan will be routed to Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. 
  • Working to ensure that health care providers across the country are educated to detect symptoms and provide proper treatment to prevent the virus from spreading in the U.S.

 

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