Photo Courtesy of House of Representatives
U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman
By Forum Staff
Two city pols on Thursday led a request to President Joe Biden asking him to help New York City battle the latest surge in COVID-19 cases.
In a letter spearheaded by U.S. Reps. Grace Meng (D-Flushing) and Jamaal Bowman (D-Bronx and Westchester), and signed by other members of New York’s congressional delegation, the lawmakers asked the president to provide free rapid test kits to New York City, and issue additional guidance for schools to ensure that they are safe. The letter also asked for rapid test kits to be accompanied with translations to make sure that all communities across the five boroughs can access and understand how to use the tests.
Photo Courtesy of Rep. Meng
Rep. Meng has asked President Biden to provide free rapid COVID test kits to New York City.
“Rapid COVID-19 tests provide New Yorkers not only with the ability to test in the comfort of their own home, but also help alleviate the hours-long lines we have seen at brick and mortar and mobile testing sites since late December,” the lawmakers wrote. “Without COVID-19 rapid test kits, New York City is not able to sustain its current efforts to limit the spread of the virus. We further emphasize the need to ensure at-home tests are made available free of charge to remove barriers that may otherwise prevent people from receiving the care they need and keeping our communities healthy and safe. Additionally, access to COVID-19 rapid test kits that are accompanied with translations and support to promote fidelity of implementation to help ensure New York City can continue to keep schools open, safely. For our school communities to be healthy and safe for everyone, we further encourage your administration to issue guidance that complements rapid test kits such that when a student tests positive for COVID-19, it is always communicated to the school and that the student quarantine at home. At this time, testing of NYC students is limited and we need to make every effort to prioritize and protect the health and well-being of everyone who is a part of our school communities.”
Those who signed the letter include New York Reps. Adriano Espaillat, Ritchie Torres, Thomas Suozzi, Carolyn Maloney, Nydia Velázquez, Jerrold Nadler, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Gregory Meeks, Hakeem Jeffries and Yvette Clarke.
