Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is pushing a plan to provide “masks for all.”
Sanders comments came in a column posted by USA Today on Tuesday.
“It is an absolute tragedy, and embarrassing, that the United States is practically the only major country where the COVID-19 pandemic is worsening by the day,” he said.
“If we are to have any hope of turning this economy around, opening schools safely, and preventing countless more deaths, we must first get this virus under control. That is why, in late July, with 14 other senators and dozens of United States representatives, I introduced common-sense, practical and inexpensive legislation to protect Americans during the coronavirus pandemic: Masks for All.”
He said the plan would instruct the Trump administration to utilize the Defense Production Act to produce and deliver "high quality masks.”
Sanders said the bill would “substantially” increase high-quality mask production. It would also require the distribution of three reusable masks to every person in the U.S. at no cost.
“Only when the virus is contained can the economy be revived,” he said. “One estimate suggested that widespread use of masks could be worth up to $1 trillion to our economy by preventing shutdowns and getting people back to work earlier.
“Providing high quality masks for all is an effective disease prevention tool that must be immediately implemented. Every day we delay, lives are needlessly lost.”
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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