Congressman Kim Releases "The Way Forward', Formal Recommendations on Preparing for a Second Wave

Statement

Today, Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03) released "The Way Forward: Preparing America for a Second Wave', a set of recommendations for public health leaders and public officials to prepare for a potential second wave of COVID-19.

"The federal government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been insufficient to meet the scale of the threat," said Congressman Kim. "The lack of a national testing and contact tracing strategy, continued shortages of personal protective equipment, and the absence of innovative methods to create early warning systems have led to a series of calamitous outcomes that have cost lives and livelihoods."

The report is the result of testimony from the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis and numerous interviews with public health experts. Recommendations from the report focus on four main areas: improving diagnostic testing infrastructure, strengthening contact tracing, increasing the availability and quality of personal protective equipment, and implementing early warning systems and indicators.

Congressman Kim continued, "The report intends to guide us towards an America with national plans informed by science that allow us to learn from the inadequacies of the past six months and prepare for a potential second wave of the virus."

Congressman Kim is a member of the bipartisan House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis, where he serves as one of twelve members of the House tasked with conducting oversight over programs aimed at ending the Coronavirus pandemic and helping address the economic impact it's having on the American people. Congressman Kim is also a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Small Business.

Source