Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler on Tuesday announced that the state of Georgia will receive an additional $9.2 million in funding to fight the novel coronavirus, known as COVID-19.
Last month, Senators Perdue and Loeffler announced that the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had awarded nearly $15 million to Georgia to fight the outbreak. The $9.2 million announced Wednesday, as well as the almost $15 million from last month, were authorized as part of the $8.3 billion “Phase One” funding package that both Senators Perdue and Loeffler supported.
The state of Georgia also will be receiving more federal funding in coming weeks from the subsequent “Phase Two” and “Phase Three” funding packages that also were supported by both Georgia senators.
“Our local communities in Georgia are on the front lines of mitigating COVID-19, and strong support from the CDC is vital to their success,” said Senator Perdue.
“It’s critical that we continue to ensure state and local health departments have the resources they need to safeguard public health. These funds will strengthen our public health capabilities and give our communities the ability to rapidly respond to new cases. The CDC is working tirelessly to handle this threat, and together we will continue to take strong action to keep Georgians and Americans healthy and safe.”
“From welcoming passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship to being the home of the CDC, Georgia has been at the forefront of our nation’s efforts to combat COVID-19,” said Senator Loeffler. “It’s clear we need additional resources to continue to keep Georgians safe. That’s why I supported the $8.3 billion funding bill that Congress passed last month to give Governor Kemp, local officials and local health departments the resources they need. This funding will help expand testing, ensure our hospitals have the supplies they need and assist local health departments track the spread of the virus. I thank CDC Director Dr. Redfield for his work to quickly get money to the states that need it most.”