9 questions for Alabama Sen. Doug Jones on the COVID-19 response

The Advertiser sent nine questions about the COVID-19 outbreak to Democratic U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, the incumbent, and Republican nominee Tommy Tuberville, the former coach of the Auburn football team. Jones' responses are below. Tuberville's campaign did not respond to the questions or to two follow-up inquiries for a response; the Advertiser will print his answers here should he choose to send them. 

Q: At this point, where do you think Alabama stands in combating the virus, compared with where it was in July, and compared to states like New York (with a positive test rate of around 1%) that appear to have gotten the disease under control after a very difficult spring and summer?

We are certainly in better shape now than we were this summer.  We went through a rough patch after Memorial Day and the July 4th holiday, but we’ve been able to get a better handle on the virus once the Governor issued a statewide mask order and the increased vigilance of most Alabamians who practice social distancing and are mindful of the danger of this virus. That said we would like to do better and can do better. There has been far too much loss of life—more than 2,400 Alabamians have died, as well as more than 200,000 Americans. There is no question that other, northern states suffered in the early onset of COVID-19, when there was little consensus about how best to stop the spread. In the early days, far too many—in elected office, in the media and elsewhere—were quick to politicize the virus and that made a coordinated response more difficult. The conversation became more about how the virus would affect poll numbers and the stock market than how it would impact our lives and livelihoods. From day one, I have tried to take politics out of it, follow the medical experts, and focus on stopping the spread of the virus and securing relief for those who need it most.

Q: How do you rate the federal government’s response to the outbreak, and how did it affect the caseload in Alabama?

Everyone knows the administration could have handled the healthcare response better, especially early on. We lost several weeks in getting tests out because we did not accept WHO testing and our first batch of tests were spoiled.  We did not properly allocate testing or personal protective equipment (PPE) so most states were forced to compete against each other with no federal coordination. I also had hoped for an earlier and more aggressive use of the Defense Production Act but that did not materialize. I do think the federal action has improved, and I am hopeful that Operation Warpspeed will be ready to roll out for the distribution of a vaccine once one is approved. Until we do have a vaccine it is critical that Governor Ivey’s mask order and Safer At Home order remain in effect to help get the virus under control.

With regard to Congressional response, I believed it was very good early on. We acted very quickly in a bipartisan way to pass the CARES Act. Unfortunately, things bogged down in May, and the issue became more partisan. I was very disappointed that nothing was accomplished as the unemployment program came to an end, schools reopened and local governments began laying off workers. I still believe that Congress should act as soon as possible to deliver relief to families, businesses and institutions, like schools, hospitals, and the U.S. Postal Service.

Q: Do you believe the April lockdown was an appropriate response to the virus? Should it have been longer or shorter, and why?

I think it was the right decision based on the information available at the time. We had to react to a rapidly spreading virus that we knew to be deadly. Some people injected politics into the lockdowns from the get-go and made it harder to do the right thing to keep people safe. We know now that these lockdowns worked, but we also know they were painful to the economy. I wish the administration would have better used that time to ramp up testing and contact tracing so that we could have avoided some of the increases in the summer numbers like we saw in Alabama. That said, I have always maintained that we could re-open the economy but do it safely if we followed the CDC guidelines.

Q: Do you support Gov. Kay Ivey’s mask order, issued in mid-July? Why or why not?

Yes, I strongly commend Governor Ivey for implementing a statewide mask order which I believe has helped in our efforts to lessen the spread of COVID-19. It is imperative that we continue to wear our masks and socially distance. It took her issuing an order for people to fully grasp the significance without injecting politics.

Q: Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed the CARES Act in late March. Debate about a second relief package bill has focused on supplements to unemployment and payments to ensure people stay at home. What level of federal unemployment adjustment (if any) do you support, and why?

I believe we should re-start the $600 per week in unemployment relief that was originally authorized through the CARES Act, and it should be included in the next COVID-19 relief package—but I don’t believe this emergency unemployment should be the sole priority of relief legislation. Many Americans lost their jobs, through no fault of their own. People are hurting right now and need this $600 per week to help put food on the table. A young man called my office recently and told us he was selling his plasma to make ends meet. It doesn’t need to be that way, but because Senator McConnell refuses to act we have not seen meaningful relief brought to the Senate Floor in months. It should also be remembered that these benefits are going straight back into the economy.  People are paying their rent or mortgage, buying food and other necessities.  The extended unemployment certainly helps individuals and families get through this crisis but also helps keep our economy going.

Q: Alabama today (Friday, Sept.18) reported that unemployment in the state had reached 5.6%. Does this lessen the urgency of an aid package, and why or why not?

I am pleased to see that there has been progress in terms of the unemployment rate, but every economist I’ve heard from agrees that the economy will not reach full strength until we first get the virus under control. With school starting back up, and flu season approaching, we cannot let our guard down. I believe that we absolutely need another relief package. An influx of funds to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) will help mitigate future job losses, as would relief for state and local governments. Many businesses have stated that a round of layoffs are likely in October and many cities and counties are feeling the pinch and will do the same thing.  We sure  can’t start laying off first responders in the middle of this crisis. What we don’t want to see happen is any decline in the progress we have made, and that is likely without further government help.

Q: What other issues, if any, should be addressed in a second relief package? Several issues have been raised from aid to state and local governments to election security to litigation protections for businesses.

We must pass substantive legislation that funds not only the accelerated search for a vaccine but protects the lives and livelihoods of people In Alabama and across the country. I believe Hazard Pay for frontline workers is a critical piece of any relief package. I have co-sponsored legislation and been a strong advocate for economic relief to individuals, families, small businesses, local governments, and vital institutions such as schools, hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service. I have also pushed for Medicaid expansion during this pandemic to help more than 300,000 Alabamians access health coverage.

For months, I have been calling for increased relief for state and local governments, more funding for testing, and Hazard Pay for our frontline workers.  We also must continue to support the CDC and NIH in order to ensure that we are maximizing our ability to effectively combat this virus.

Early in the outbreak, there was widespread discussion about expanding the manufacture of personal protective equipment in the United States. What specific steps could be taken at the federal level to do so?

I am leading that important discussion. In late April, I urged Governor Ivey to create a healthcare manufacturing task force that would help identify the best ways for Alabama to utilize its existing manufacturing infrastructure to begin producing medical supplies and PPE. We’ve seen some businesses, like HomTex in Cullman, adapt their facility for making health care equipment. But we’ve also seen around the country that smaller companies who want to do what they feel is the patriotic duty just aren’t able to make it work financially.

In May, I introduced the Build Health Care Equipment in America Act to incentivize the reopening of idle factories and put them to use producing critical health supplies, like PPE, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bottom line is that regardless of how long this pandemic lasts, America’s need for more healthcare equipment is going to be with us from this point on.

Q: Public health departments around the nation say that they lack the staff and funding to educate and administer a COVID-19 vaccine, should one become available. What steps would you support to provide health departments with the resources to distribute any COVID-19 vaccine that is developed?

Distributing and administering a COVID-19 vaccine to millions of Americans will be a massive, complex process that will take cooperation from all levels of government and the private sector. We should be planning our distribution process now. Congress should include additional funding for public health departments in the next COVID-19 legislative package to ensure they have the staff and supplies necessary to help with vaccination efforts.  I have been and continue to be a strong advocate for increased healthcare infrastructure, and the pandemic has really put a spotlight on the inadequacies in our current healthcare system.

Q: What has the pandemic shown you about the American health care system? Based on what you’ve learned, what steps should the federal government take to prepare for a future outbreak?

COVID-19 has shown us that we are all connected, that my health depends on my neighbor’s health, and that our economy depends on the health of the community. It has also put a spotlight on the disparities in healthcare access along racial and socio-economic lines.  The virus has had a disproportionate effect on African Americans, and much of this can be attributed to a lack of access to quality and affordable healthcare. COVID-19 has also highlighted the fragile state of rural healthcare in Alabama and across the country.  I have long been a proponent of expanding Medicaid and still believe that would raise the level of the health of Alabamians while also bringing in billions of federal dollars.

In order to be prepared for the next pandemic, we must learn from the response to the current COVID-19 pandemic.  It is imperative that we have a clear and transparent federal response, and this must include a plan for better coordination between the federal government and state and local governments. This includes re-establishing the White House pandemic office to coordinate such a crisis that was shut down by the Trump Administration.

We must work to bring medical and pharmaceutical manufacturing back to America to ensure that we are more adequately equipped to handle another crisis like the current one.

While the World Health Organization has not been perfect in its response to COVID-19,  I do believe that we need to rejoin and continue to fund the World Health Organization to make it more effective.  This will help make sure that we are doing all that we can to continue to develop strategies and research that will help us fight and coordinate future pandemic responses.

Similarly, we must continue to support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  There have been issues with coordination and guidance from the CDC in the response to COVID-19, but I believe that we have the opportunity and the obligation to work to improve how the CDC operates.  In the event of another pandemic, a strong and effective CDC will be critical to saving lives.

Finally, expanding Medicaid in Alabama would raise the level of health of Alabamians and thus allow them to better fend off any future viruses.

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Brian Lyman at 334-240-0185 or blyman@gannett.com.