By Liz Moomey

liz.moomey@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Rep. Richard Hudson, R-8, were part of a bipartisan letter sent Wednesday morning to Vice President Mike Pence and urging the administration to provide additional resources to increase testing for COVID-19 in North Carolina.

The letter, signed by Tillis, Hudson and U.S. Rep. David Price, D-4, said their top priority is ensuring safety, security and peace of mind for all North Carolinians and all Americans. They relayed the fact that the North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services says supplies for test kits will not fit demand. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has distributed 75,000 kits across the country and has increased production to create more test kits.

The letter states, as the state’s federal representatives, they must ensure the state receives necessary resources to meet current and future demands. 

“We are committed to working with you to ensure that North Carolina receives its additional supply of test kits and guidance on the best practices for testing prioritization,” the letter states. “We also look forward to the approval of additional Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs), as appropriate, to allow other testing methods that are not limited by current or future supply issues.”

Hudson’s Communications Director Greg Steele said the congressman is encouraging people to follow all guidelines from experts at the Centers for Disease Control, including washing your hands, covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze, not touching your face and avoiding handshakes and other contact to reduce the spread and impact of coronavirus.

Both Budd and Hudson’s offices have created a website for information on COVID-19. All of the state’s member of Congress, including its senators, also voted for a multi-billion emergency funding package March 4 for the U.S. response to the COVID-19. The White House on Wednesday announced the distribution of more than $13.8 million to North Carolina to support the COVID-19 response, according to Department of Health and Human Services. Nationwide, CDC awarded more than $560 million to state and local jurisdictions.

Communications Director Curtis Kalin said it’s Budd’s hope that the money is used to speed up the deployment of testing throughout North Carolina and across the country.

Hudson is following CDC guidelines to limit exposure to COVID-19, Steele said.

Kalin said Budd’s office does not have concerns about the representative or a member of the staff coming into contact with a person sick with COVID-19. No one on staff is self-quarantining at this time. The office is taking other, precautionary steps like discouraging handshakes and increasing the use of hand sanitizer.