Letter to the Hon. Robert Redfield, Dir. of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - House Congressional Tri-Caucus Calls on CDC to Expand Coronavirus Materials for Non-English Speakers

Letter

Dear, Dr. Redfield,

Thank you for your ongoing efforts to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (abbreviated COVID-19). As members of the Congressional Tri-Caucus -- composed of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) -- we write to urge the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to offer accessible translations of materials related to COVID-19 in all major languages spoken in the United States.

COVID-19 has been a tremendous source of concern and uncertainty for our constituents. People across this country have been bracing themselves for what the World Health Organization has declared a pandemic. So far, there have been tens of thousands of confirmed cases globally, with the virus having spread to over 100 countries worldwide and nearly every state in the United States. What is clear is that the response to this virus will be a major determinant to what extent it continues to spread in our country.

While we are grateful for the valuable work the CDC has done so far under such uncertain circumstances, we believe there is more that can be done. As you know, the risk of infection rises with prolonged exposure and close contact with infected individuals. We saw this on display when one positive case of COVID-19 turned into more than 500 on the Princess Cruise off the coast of Japan.[1] The pace and severity with which this virus will spread in the United States will be largely dependent on our collective response. For these reasons, it is imperative that CDC resources and information are made available and accessible to everyone that lives in the United States, which includes over 25 million people who are limited English proficient.

In order to slow infection rates, strengthen prevention efforts and dispel misinformation, we urge the CDC to increase the availability of its informational resources to better educate the public on ways to prevent the spread of the virus. Specifically, we urge the CDC to make available information related to COVID-19 risk factors, symptoms, prevention, testing and treatment (that is currently available in English and in limited Spanish and Chinese online) available in all the major languages spoken in our country. This includes, but is not limited to, Spanish, Chinese, French, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Korean, German, Arabic and Russian.[2] In looking out for the well-being of all Americans, we must ensure that everyone living in this country has access to life-saving information that could help prevent or delay the spread of this virus.

We thank you for your prompt attention to this matter and look forward to your reply.