Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) on Tuesday evening described the coronavirus as “so serious” but would not commit to closing U.S. borders to Americans who have been exposed to the virus in order to prevent an outbreak.
“Would you close the borders to Americans who have been exposed to the coronavirus in order to prevent an outbreak here in this country?” moderator Gayle King asked.
Klobuchar would not commit to closing U.S. borders to Americans exposed to the virus. Instead, she stressed “treatment for those Americans” and said they should be in a “quarantined situation.”
“We don’t want to expose people, but we want to give them help,” she said, contending that President Donald Trump has not done enough to invest in the CDC and promising that she would address the nation on the topic.
She then took her message directly to the American people “because this is so serious.”
She gave out the CDC’s website instead of her own “so that people keep checking in and they follow the rules and realize what they have to do if they feel sick and call their healthcare provider.”
“Because many doctors are saying it’s just a matter of time before we’re going to start seeing this here,” Klobuchar said.
“I would better coordinate throughout my presidency to be ready for the next pandemic and to prepare for this one,” she continued, promising that she would forge better relationships with our allies and “support — because I know the vaccine is out there in the head of some kid right now in school in Columbia, South Carolina, or Houston, Texas, and it’s investing in education so we are ready to lead again in the world.”
Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said on Tuesday that it is “not a question of if this will happen but when this will happen and how many people in this country will have severe illnesses.
“Disruption to everyday life might be severe,” she added.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.