Update: Gabbard Says Hawaiʻi Could Start COVID-19 Testing Next Week

Update:

Presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard (US Rep. Hawaiʻi) issued an update this evening, saying Hawaiʻi will now be able to start testing for COVID-19 next week, and will no longer need to get test kits from Japan. However, she said, there are still “major questions” she has as to why it’s taken so long for the state Department of Health and the CDC to make this possible.

Earlier this evening, she issued a statement from her campaign calling on the president to allow Hawai‘i to purchase COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) testing kits from Japan.

Just yesterday, the congresswoman called for the suspension of flights from Japan and South Korea to prevent the spread of COVID-19, also known as the novel coronavirus.

Also today, the Hawai‘i Senate Ways and Means Committee today advanced a bill to provide Governor David Ige’s request for an emergency appropriation of $10,568,750 to the Hawai‘i Departments of Health and Defense for prevention and mitigation of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus.

Today’s updates: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed an infection with the virus that causes COVID-19 in California in a person who reportedly did not have relevant travel history or exposure to another known patient with COVID-19.  Also today, Japan ordered all elementary, junior high and high schools nationwide to close from Monday through spring break, which typically ends in early April.

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Presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard (US Rep. Hawaiʻi) is calling on President Trump to allow Hawai‘i to purchase COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) testing kits from Japan.

In a statement issued through her campaign, Gabbard said, “Today, I’m calling upon President Trump to instruct the bureaucrats at the CDC and FDA to immediately allow the State of Hawai‘i to get testing kits and related items from Japan, since the CDC is failing to provide them. The health and well-being of the people of Hawai‘i are at stake. This is an emergency and should be treated as such.”

She went on to say, “As an island state, with responsible leadership, we can keep this virus out. But, we won’t be able to do that without our state and federal leaders taking it much more seriously than they are right now.”

Just yesterday, the congresswoman called for the suspension of flights from Japan and South Korea to prevent the spread of COVID-19, also known as the novel coronavirus.

Also today, the Hawai‘i Senate Ways and Means Committee today advanced a bill to provide Governor David Ige’s request for an emergency appropriation of $10,568,750 to the Hawai‘i Departments of Health and Defense for prevention and mitigation of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus.

Today’s updates: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed an infection with the virus that causes COVID-19 in California in a person who reportedly did not have relevant travel history or exposure to another known patient with COVID-19.  Also today, Japan ordered all elementary, junior high and high schools nationwide to close from Monday through spring break, which typically ends in early April.