Washing our hands of the coronavirus

The coronavirus pandemic is one of the worst health crises we have ever seen, and it has had a dramatic impact on our everyday lives. As an American I am grateful for the leadership of President Trump and his administration. I am thankful for his actions that have softened the impact of this horrible virus, and I am confident that as a nation we will return stronger.

We have proven throughout our history that when Americans work together, we can overcome anything. Because of our country’s free market, abundant resources, and tremendous ingenuity and innovation, the private sector is primed to step up and support the federal government response. We have seen countless companies offer aid and resources to help our country overcome this pandemic.

As we move to reopen our economy and slowly return to life as we once knew it, we must make sure that we have the necessary materials to protect Americans as they return to work and school. We must ensure that we have the production capacity necessary to provide adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) needed to protect our medical community and our first responders.

Additionally, hand sanitizing products will be vitally important as we reopen the economy. The CDC has said that alcohol-based hand sanitizers are crucial to stop the spread of the virus. We must ramp up production of these hand sanitizing products to prepare for when we resume interactions with our family, friends and co-workers and as we prepare for our children’s return to school. It is critical that we provide enough of these products to help prevent further spread of COVID-19.

We have seen many companies step up to help fill the current demand of hygiene products by producing hand sanitizer. Companies such as alcohol and spirits distillers and distributors are using their resources to help meet this increased demand. I am proud to see these proactive efforts in support of our country during this time of need. However, these companies are not built to produce at the levels we will need in the long term, and once the economy reopens, many will return to producing their staple products. We need companies that have the experience and production capabilities to mass produce for the whole country.

As the economy reopens, we will see additional exposure to the COVID-19 virus. To keep the number of new cases down, to prevent future spikes, and protect Americans from contracting this awful virus, production capacity for alcohol-based hand sanitizer needs to be prioritized moving forward.

President Trump, thank you for your leadership and all you have done to keep us safe during this outbreak. I know you have the American people’s health as your top priority. Let’s all continue to work together to make sure to provide our medical personnel, first responders, and every American with all life saving tools necessary to help prevent the further spread of COVID-19 so that our country can beat this once and for all. 

Michael Guest represents Mississippi’s 3rd District.