Folks,

Mississippi now has the highest positivity rate of new COVID-19 cases than any other state in the country. This is the last thing we want our state to be #1 in, but it comes as little surprise given we lead the country in lack of access to affordable health care and medical resources.

With morgues overflowing, Mississippi’s coroners are rationing test kits and calling in refrigerated trucks for backup. This is a gruesome fact that pains me to write. It’s absolutely horrible.

Not only are cases and deaths surging, they’re also being massively underreported due to lack of resources or state regulation. Coroners helplessly report that they’re there’s no guidance from state leaders on how to handle this crisis.

Accessing health care in Mississippi is already too difficult. Hospitals in rural communities continue to close, and we still haven’t expanded Medicaid. Black Mississippians are disproportionately impacted by lack of access to quality, affordable health care. Coronavirus has only made these problems worse.

Meanwhile, Dr. Thomas Dobbs, the state health officer, said that it would be a mistake to open the schools now. We should listen to the medical doctors who are monitoring the data and adhering to science.

Instead, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Cindy Hyde-Smith have failed to pass any additional relief for unemployed workers, struggling families, frontline health care workers, or small businesses. There’s no national strategy for increasing access to tests or giving our schools the resources they need to safely teach our children.

We need leadership and we need it fast. I’m calling on our state leaders and those in Washington like McConnell and Hyde-Smith to urgently provide a national testing plan, full unemployment benefits for those put out of work, funding for schools and hospitals, eviction relief, and a mask mandate here in Mississippi.

If you’re with me and believe it’s time for these critical steps to address the pandemic, add your name alongside mine now to put pressure on those in power. [[link removed]]

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With so many lives on the line, there’s no time to waste. We need action now.

– Mike

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Paid for by Mike Espy for U.S. Senate
Mike Espy for U.S. Senate
4450 Old Canton Rd, Suite 205
Jackson, MS 39211
United States
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