Press Releases

Sen. Rick Scott Introduces STOP COVID-19 Act

December 23, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Rick Scott introduced the

Senator Rick Scott said, “The distribution of the coronavirus vaccine is great news, but we still haven’t beaten the coronavirus and we can’t let our guard down. As infections continue across the nation, all levels of government must work together on transparent, efficient and measurable ways to contain the spread. The STOP COVID-19 Act creates a program for cities and counties, using metrics-based incentives, to ensure communities are doing everything possible to keep residents safe. The program will be data-focused, so communities know what they are doing well and what they need to work on. We must keep working to end the coronavirus and give Americans as much information as possible, so we can get back to our new normal.”
 

The Create a voluntary, data-driven COVID testing and contact tracing program for cities and counties to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

  • Establish metrics, including positivity rate, contract tracing and test results, to measure the effectiveness of the program.
  • Authorize an 100% federal share for the first two months, using unspent money in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund. That will continue after two months unless the city or county fails to attain the success metrics, then a 25% cost-share would apply. 
  • Increase transparency by requiring cities and counties to report testing metrics and community spread, as well as publish easily accessible information about testing locations and availability.

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