
Vice President Mike Pence bumps elbows with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, left, during a news conference, Thursday, March 5, 2020, at Camp Murray in Washington state. Pence was in Washington to discuss the state’s efforts to fight the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, and officials have been avoiding shaking hands to prevent the spread of germs. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 7:08 AM PT — Friday, March 6, 2020
Vice President Mike Pence flew to Washington to gauge the state’s response to the coronavirus. He met with state officials on Thursday and toured emergency response facilities. The vice president has been put in charge of the federal response to the outbreak by President Trump.
Washington has been the state hardest hit by the spread of coronavirus with a majority of U.S. deaths reported in the state. It has since declared a state of emergency; a measure that allows states to activate crisis measures and access special emergency funds.
Pence arrived on Air Force Two and landed in the city of Tacoma, where he was greeted by Gov. Jay Inslee (D). The two exchanged an elbow bump, forgoing a traditional handshake as a safety measure against transmission. The vice president also elbow-bumped the various officials and emergency workers he met during his trip.
During his tour of the state’s Emergency Management Operations Center, he praised the work of emergency service personnel and reiterated the nation’s support for the state.
“‘But the response of the state of Washington, of your Health Department, the response by the city of Seattle, Madame Mayor, has really inspired the country,” he stated. “And the president wanted me to be to be here today just to make it crystal clear that we’re with you, we’re here to help.”
Pence and Inslee later discussed the availability of testing kits necessary to assess the extent of the virus’s spread. The vice president assured the governor that millions of testing kits, more than 5.2 million, would be rolled out to the state in the next week.
“To all of you who are standing with people in this state dealing with the virus and people in Washington state is we’re with you. “I’m here to ensure that the full resources of the federal government are being brought to bear in support of the state of Washington’s efforts,” said Pence.
The vice president echoed the advice of
experts at the CDC who are asking people not to hoard masks and to leave them available to health workers. He emphasized the low risk the virus presents to most Americans.
“While the coronavirus has spread in the Seattle area and new cases are detected around the country every day, the good news is that the vast majority of all of those who have contracted the coronavirus are recovering and doing well,” stated the vice president. “The truth is that the risk of contracting the coronavirus to the average American remains low.’
The vice president went on to tout the bipartisan coronavirus response package passed by Congress and signed by President Trump this week, which allocated more than $8 billion to the efforts to fight the outbreak.