COVID-19
COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person. The virus that causes COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus.
The following symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure.
-Fever
-Cough
-Shortness of breath
-Fatigue
-Muscle or body aches
-Headache
-New loss of taste or smell
-Congestion or runny nose
-Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
For information on COVID-19 vaccines, click here.
In response to the spread of COVID-19, Congress has passed multiple bills into law to assist individuals and small businesses with effects of this pandemic. H.R. 6074, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, and H.R. 748, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the FY 2021 Appropriations legislation which included another pandemic relief package, and most recently the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Together, these laws dramatically expand critical financial lifelines for families, establish new benefits and protections for workers, create new tools for small businesses to meet payroll and other expenses, and provide relief for students and schools.
Additional information about the coronavirus from the CDC can be found here.
Additional information about the coronavirus from the Virginia Department of Health can be found here.
Additional information about the coronavirus from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs can be found here.
Situation in Virginia
Everyone in Virginia age 12 or older is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine now. The Virginia Department of Health is responsible for the COVID-19 vaccine distribution throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Virginia Department of Health has launched a website that allows Virginians to easily register for the COVID-19 vaccine. Visit Vaccinate.Virginia.gov to get vaccinated now. For those that do not have internet access, please call 1-877-VAX-IN-VA (877-829-4682) to pre-register for your vaccine. If you do not live in Virginia, you should visit Vaccines.gov
For a comprehensive list of actions Governor Northam has announced to combat COVID-19 in Virginia, visit virginia.gov/coronavirus.
In response to the spread of disinformation, FEMA has set up a webpage to help the public distinguish between fact and rumors in regards to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
IF YOU FEEL SICK with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, you should get tested for COVID-19.
If you are sick with COVID-19 or suspect you are infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, follow the steps below to help prevent the disease from spreading to people in your home and community. People who are mildly ill with COVID-19 are able to isolate at home during their illness. More information on what to do if you are sick with COVID-19 can be found here.
More on COVID-19
June 13, 2021
In The News
As Congress gears up to battle over how much to spend on infrastructure, Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, D-Newport News, wants to be sure his Capitol Hill colleagues remember one part of the foundation that keeps an economy growing: Child care. “If we’re going to get all these jobs, people need the things that make it possible to work, and that’s child care,” he told staff at the Downtown Hampton Child Development Center. The pandemic hit child-care facilities hard, he said. Those that remained open faced big bills to arrange for social distancing and hygiene measures — and had to spend that money as parents, stuck at home, decided to keep their children home too. Many simply closed their doors, and face bills to prepare for reopening.
June 10, 2021
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after Department of Labor issued an Emergency Temporary Standard and additional guidance to protect workers from COVID-19. “The Emergency Temporary Standard issued today is a step in the right direction to protect health care workers from COVID-19. The ETS provides many nurses, doctors, and frontline workers in health care settings with enforceable workplace safety standards that address the severe risks of COVID-19. However, I am disappointed by both the timing and the scope of this workplace safety standard.
June 4, 2021
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 559,000 jobs in May with the unemployment rate at 5.8 percent. “Today’s job report shows that the Biden-Harris economic plan is working and, if fully implemented, will produce a strong, shared recovery that benefits all Americans. The American Rescue Plan provided immediate relief to students, workers, families, and businesses and delivered the resources necessary to defeat the pandemic. But today’s report also shows that we still have a long road ahead to make up for the millions of jobs lost over the past 16 months.
May 18, 2021
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement calling for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to do its job to protect workers from COVID-19. National Nurses United and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union released statements citing concerns with the impact of CDC’s new guidance on workers. “One clear lesson from the last 16 months is that the honor system does not protect workers from COVID-19 infections.
May 17, 2021
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) gave the following remarks to commemorate the 67th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education at the American Bar Association Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice webinar, entitled “Brown at 67: Reflecting and Reimagining. Thank you all for inviting me today to join this important discussion. In the 67 years since Brown v. Board of Education, the Education and Labor Committee has played a key role in our nation’s progress t owards achieving the promise of educational equity.
Scott, Mrvan Introduce Bill to Secure Support for Longshore and Harbor Workers Who Contract COVID-19
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Committee on Education and Labor, and Rep. Frank J. Mrvan (IN-01) introduced legislation to secure critical support for maritime workers who contract COVID-19. The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ COVID-19 Compensation Act of 2021 (H.R. 3114) makes longshore and harbor workers who are diagnosed with COVID-19 eligible for workers’ compensation by establishing a “conclusive presumption” that they contracted the virus at work. Hundreds of longshore and harbor workers across the country have contracted COVID-19 during the pandemic. The presumption in this legislation would apply retroactively to January 27, 2020, when the COVID-19 public health emergency was declared by the Department of Health Human Services.
May 12, 2021
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement on International Nurses Day in remembrance of nurses who have died during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Today’s remembrance of nurses who have died from COVID-19 underscores the federal government’s failure to protect the professionals who have cared for us and our loved ones throughout the pandemic. More than 480,000 health care workers have contracted COVID-19 and more than 1,600 have tragically died, including more than 400 registered nurses.
May 11, 2021
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, the Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, announced more than $147 million in emergency funding for colleges, universities, and students in Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District under the American Rescue Plan. The funding will help local institutions cope with the severe financial fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and continue serving their students safely. At least half of the funding each institution receives will be distributed in the form of emergency cash assistance grants to students who are facing hunger, homelessness, and other hardship.
May 10, 2021
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-NA), Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), and Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) applauded the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) decision to reinstate nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people and other marginalized communities, which the previous administration sought to undermine. The Chairs released the following statement: “We applaud the Biden administration’s decision to reinstate vital patient protections for LGBTQ+ people and other marginalized communities.
May 4, 2021
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), Rep. Susan Wild (PA-07), and Rep. Susie Lee (NV03) introduced the Direct Creation, Advancement, and Retention of Employment (CARE) Opportunity Act, legislation that invests more than $1 billion over five years in training and increasing opportunities for our nation’s direct care workers. The Direct CARE Opportunity Act aligns with a key piece of the American Jobs Plan, which calls for significant investments to meet the surging demand for home and community-based services