Vice President Mike Pence announced in a call with state governors that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be coordinating the nationwide response to the coronavirus.
He explained on Thursday that the federally supported response from FEMA would be “locally executed” and managed by the states. Pence also noted that coronavirus testing was available in all 50 states and that “tens of thousands of tests” have been completed thanks to the public-private partnerships that were greenlighted by the Trump administration.
“Later today, the president and I will meet again in a teleconference with the nation’s governors. We will meet at the National Response Coordination Center at FEMA and outline President Trump’s decision to have FEMA take the lead in our national coronavirus response. Our nation’s response through FEMA will be locally executed, state-managed, and federally-supported,” Pence explained.
He continued, “On testing, we want the American people to know once again that testing is available in all 50 states and is becoming increasingly available literally every hour of the day. Because of the public-private partnership that the president initiated several weeks ago with major commercial labs, I am pleased to receive a report today that tens of thousands of tests are being performed every day.”
Pence noted that state and private labs are required by law to report the results of all tests to the federal government to help manage the nationwide response. He also urged people not to seek a coronavirus test unless they are experiencing symptoms so that those who need the tests first will have access.
