Sen. Rick Scott urges Trump administration to declare Coronavirus public health emergency

WASHING, D.C. (CBS12) — Florida Sen. Rick Scott is urging the Trump administration to declare the Coronavirus a public health emergency.

The senator released a statement Friday amid reports of more confirmed cases of the virus in the U.S. as well as a briefing from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to a news release, Scott sent a letter to the CDC director requesting information about the agency's plan to combat the threat of the coronavirus and urging a quick response to protect Americans.

We have to get serious about the threat of coronavirus coming from China. I don’t trust Communist China to coordinate in a transparent and efficient manner when it comes to combatting the threat of the virus, so we have to do everything we can to protect Americans," Scott said. "Today, I’m calling on the Administration to declare a national public health emergency to stop the coronavirus from spreading within the United States. While all of the cases are still travel-related, we must take every precaution. Just like we did in Florida to curb the spread of the Ebola and Zika viruses, we must take action to make every resource available to contain the disease and keep Americans healthy.

The senator also says the U.S. needs to have a better understanding of how the virus is transmitted and needs to increase screening and inspections on all products and produce coming into the United States from China.