Doctors in clinics cannot test for Covid-19 with personal protective equipment (PPE) even if the test kits arrive one day. We cannot see sick patients without N95 masks. Some offices are shutting down and only doing telehealth because they don’t have PPE. This should be the priority.

A dangerous new coronavirus (COVID-19) is at its early stages of spreading in the U.S., and appears to be spreading rapidly, with new cases increasing at an exponential rate. The DC Department of Health has established that the virus is present and spreading within Washington. Public health experts agree that more than a million lives are at risk nationwide — as the virus can cause severe respiratory distress and lung failure. The oldest among us and those with chronic health conditions are most at risk, but everyone can be sickened, and people who aren't exhibiting any symptoms can carry and spread the virus. We have seen in China and are seeing now in Europe what happens when hospitals become overwhelmed -- it is a terrible scene. We must act aggressively or we will be in the same place. Forcing businesses to temporarily close may not be an easy political choice, but it is the morally clear one, in the best interest of the people of Washington. Mayor Bowser and the DC government should heed the advice of public health experts and do all they can to #flattenthecurve at which this virus spreads. If the federal government will not take decisive action, state and local governments must. Mayor Bowser, please close non-essential businesses, especially those such as bars and restaurants where large groups may congregate, to prevent unnecessary contagion and save lives. And please recognize the impacts this will have on workers and small businesses, and use the resources of the District to ensure workers continue to get pay and that businesses forced to temporarily close are made whole. This is one of the wealthiest cities in the world, with a strong tax base and progressive council. There is no reason we can't both act to prevent public health while also taking care of the workers and local businesses being asked to sacrifice so we can do so.

Shelter matters during a disaster. As the World Health Organization, the Center for Disease Control, and public health experts around the world plead with people to stay home during the pandemic, sheltering in safe housing empowers us to save lives by slowing the spread of the coronavirus. Social distancing preserves precious hospital and public safety resources, but it also means hardworking families are suffering lost wages and layoffs. If you do not act to stop evictions and foreclosures, some of our neighbors’ ability to stay in their homes will be in jeopardy. Their loss puts every one of us at risk. That’s why, in previous times of great crisis, lawmakers have moved quickly to stop evictions and foreclosures. Ending them will also preserve judicial and law enforcement resources for the vital work of keeping us all safe. So please: join lawmakers across the United States, including Miami-Dade, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Philadelphia, New York State, and New Jersey’s own Essex County, by putting an immediate stop to evictions and foreclosures throughout Hudson County. Resources: https://www.citylab.com/equity/2020/03/coronavirus-income-loss-paying-rent-eviction-housing-covid19/607426/ https://www.merkley.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/20.03.12%20National%20moratorium%20on%20evictions%20and%20foreclosures%20COVID-19.pdf

Those of us who lived through the 2008 crash and Great Recession saw the lasting economic effects of so many Americans who could no longer afford to pay their mortgages and rents. It ruined lives, and many Americans never recovered. It depressed the economy for a very long time. Let's not make the same mistake twice. Ask Congress to pass legislation that will maintain the economic stability of American families while we navigate this crisis.

Older folks and folks with medical conditions are likely going to die without emergency medical care at a hospital. Tell Mayor Donald Grebien and Governor Gina Raimondo to reopen Pawtucket's Memorial Hosptial immediately.

Inclusion We first urge you to approach the problems that face our country using an intersectional equity lens. Challenges compounded by race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and ability are present at every level from health care to housing to climate change to education. Addressing these needs must be at the center, not the sidelines, of our government’s policy goals. We also point to Senator Warren’s—and Secretary Castro’s—practice of bringing activists with direct knowledge of and experience with these needs to the table. We ask that you not only follow that example and use these on-the-ground experts to help shape your policies, but also that you appoint them to key roles in your administration. Personnel is policy. Corruption Senator Warren framed her campaign around dismantling the corrupt channels that perpetuate structural inequity and prevent any meaningful reform. Your plan to establish the Commission on Federal Ethics aligns with Senator Warren’s proposed U.S. Office of Public Integrity, which would oversee efforts to restore transparency to our government. We ask that you go further: support a ban on professional lobbying by any former president, vice president, cabinet secretary, federal judge, or member of Congress. We ask also that you make passage of a constitutional amendment to limit campaign contributions—nullifying Citizens United—a top priority. We must have trust in our government, and that begins with ensuring our officials and elections cannot be bought. Immigration We applaud your commitment to a moratorium on deportations during your first 100 days as president, but further action is needed to eliminate the cruelty and abuse perpetrated in the name of immigration enforcement. We need comprehensive reform of our immigration justice system, and we must start with decriminalizing immigration. To prevent future abuses, we urge you to commit to the establishment of professional, independent Article I immigration courts, and to provide access to counsel in all immigration courts. You have condemned the horrific actions of the Trump administration at the border. We urge you to adopt Senator Warren’s plan for a Department of Justice task force to investigate and prosecute all reported crimes committed against detained immigrants. Student Loan Debt The rising cost of tuition across the country means that many students are crushed by student loan debt—and it’s impacting our entire economy. Black students are particularly affected: they are more likely to have federal student loans and owe more than their original debt 12 years after finishing college. We are supportive of public service, but strongly believe that across-the-board college loan debt reduction is the best approach, especially for those with increased barriers (poor and working-class students, students with family obligations, and working students). We ask you to adopt Senator Warren's approach and cancel student loan debt through executive action, immediately enabling 95% of student loan debt holders to pursue their dreams. Universal Child Care Universal child care is an investment in working parents. It provides millions of children with access to quality care and early learning. It also creates millions of well-paying jobs for child care workers and early education teachers, many of whom are women of color. Research shows that every dollar spent on quality early education saves seven dollars in the long run. We encourage you to adopt Senator Warren’s plan, which mandates that universal child care be free to any family that earns less than 200% of the federal poverty line. Crucially, the plan also establishes a partnership between the federal government and local providers to offer a network of early childhood options—including child care and preschool centers—to every family. Equality for Americans with Disabilities You have a strong history advocating for Americans with disabilities through your work on the ADA, the ADAAA, IDEA, and VAWA. It is critical that you collaborate with disability rights leaders and advocates moving forward to form a comprehensive disability rights plan. We ask that you use Senator Warren’s plan for Protecting the Rights and Equality of Americans With Disabilities as a model. This includes our ask that you to commit to combating discrimination in the labor market and workplace, ending the subminimum wage, fully funding the Office of Disability Employment Policy, improving SSI and SSDI programs, breaking down barriers to marriage, providing national paid family and medical leave, improving critical elements of the long-term services, and supporting coverage to enable the right to live in the community. We also urge you to protect the civil rights of all Americans with disabilities, including decriminalizing poverty, addressing language deprivation for Deaf and hard-of-hearing students, and enforcing the ADA everywhere that it is applicable. We urge you to work with the disability rights community to incorporate key priorities relating to employment, housing, opioid medications, disaster preparedness, healthcare, education, equity in criminal justice, deinstitutionalization, and other key civil rights issues into your platform. Wealth Tax These plans have a price tag. We believe in fiscal responsibility—every American should pay their fair share. We believe ultra-millionaires, who benefit most from our country’s infrastructure, should invest a little more in our country. Therefore, we ask you to adopt Senator Warren’s two cent wealth tax, which requires those Americans lucky enough to have vast fortunes to pay a two cent tax on every dollar of net worth above $50 million. Over 10 years, this tax will raise an estimated $3.75 trillion that we can reinvest in working families by supporting education, childcare, family leave, and more. --- We invite you to join us in signing this letter to Democratic presidential frontrunner Joe Biden.

The most effective way to stop the spread of Coronavirus is for all working people to be able to stay home. Unfortunately, economic pressures, not the least of which is housing, force workers, even when sick, to continue to go to work every day. For this reason, we insist that ALL people in this country are empowered to practice social distancing and self quarantine as soon as possible. To make that possible, we must relieve economic pressure that forces people to go to work sick. The surest way to do this is through mortgage and rent suspension for families, individuals and small businesses. This is how we #FlattenTheCurve [https://www.vox.com/2020/3/10/21171481/coronavirus-us-cases-quarantine-cancellation]. UPDATE: In a major intervention into financial markets, the Fed will inject $1.5 TRILLION dollars. It’s a move designed to prevent a sharper economic contraction than what may already be underway. It's time to bail out the people, not the banks!

One of the most pressing needs in managing the spread of coronavirus is to understand not just the number of new cases but also the number of tests administered. Across the country, there is confusion over how many tests are being conducted by public health labs and private ones. New York state has stopped providing data on the number of tests performed, and daily Governor Andrew Cuomo addresses issues around the volume of testing and getting insights. This can be fixed. The governor could require all testing entities in New York State to report the number of tests performed each day by a certain time to a central body. This petition calls on the Governor to issue this demand, create a simple system for reporting and make this data available to the public urgently. We can't take necessary actions if we don't have the right data.

The US government's incapacity to conduct widespread testing has slowed diagnoses, thereby creating chains of infections. Also, this has deprived epidemiologists of a map that could tell how far and how fast the virus is traveling and where the US should concentrate our efforts to slow it down.

Students' Health Should Be WCPSS #1 Goal and with the coronavirus spreading and infecting 7 individuals in North Carolina, we shouldn’t be taking any chances.

To establish a new progressive party with enough support.

The prison population is one of the most vulnerable populations in our society, with millions of prisoners suffering with chronic conditions that leave them immunocompromised, thousands of people living together in close quarters, hundreds of visitors circling through daily, and healthcare facilities that are substandard and understaffed. In many prisons across the country, hand sanitizer recommended by the Centers for Disease Control is forbidden due to its high alcohol content. [source] To force this vulnerable population to make 100,000 gallons of hand sanitizer a week for pennies on the dollar is unconscionable. Join MoveOn members in demanding Governor Cuomo stop using prison slave labor to make hand sanitizer.