Human rights organization calls on the President to take action on COVID-19

The United States should take immediate action to ensure that every person who requests access to COVID-19 testing can receive it, Amnesty International USA said today in a letter addressed to United States President, Donald J. Trump. The human rights organization called on the President to ensure that adequate and quality personal protective equipment (PPE), information, training, and psychosocial support are available to support nurses, doctors, and other response staff on the front lines of the coronavirus in these critical days and weeks.

“Until there is widespread testing available in every state, we will not fully know the full scale of this pandemic in the United States and not be able to take the necessary steps needed to limit and stop its spread” said Margaret Huang, the executive director of Amnesty International USA. “Every single person in this country should have access to care and safety. To stop the spread of COVID-19, our leaders must take immediate action now to ensure we have the supplies we need to keep us all safe”.

Amnesty International USA calls on the President to use every option available, including further invoking the Defense Production Act (DPA) and using the Strategic National Stockpile, to increase the production of personal protective equipment, ventilators, and other vital healthcare equipment; ensure that any goods and services necessary for prevention of exposure are widely available and affordable for all; and drastically increase testing for COVID-19 in every state.

To learn more about COVID-19 and human rights, visit: https://www.amnestyusa.org/distant-but-together-responding-to-covid-19/

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Mariya Parodi, [email protected]