By Ted Budd

As your congressional representative, I am closely following the events surrounding the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

The coronavirus is a respiratory disease first detected in China and has spread around the world. Within the past week, we have seen several cases confirmed in North Carolina.

Since the first case was confirmed in the U.S., I have been following each and every development closely. We set up a one-stop website that anyone can visit to get connected with federal health officials and stay up to date on the latest developments. The website is budd.house.gov/coronavirus.

On the site, you can read the Centers for Disease Control’s COVID-19 fact sheet, which answers common questions about what this virus is, how it spreads and how you can protect yourself.

You can also find a link to the CDC’s coronavirus web page, which provides a wealth of information on risk assessment and identified cases within the U.S, as well as advice for communities, schools, businesses, healthcare professionals and international travel.

For more localized information on COVID-19, my website also includes a link to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ coronavirus site and their coronavirus toll-free hotline.

While I am in Washington, I continue to receive regular briefings from the vice president’s task force, which has brought together the best and brightest doctors, scientists and health experts our country has to offer. As of now, experts are telling us that the risk of contracting the virus remains low for the general population and seems to only be dangerous to older populations and those with serious health conditions. There is a lot of concern out there, but there is no need to panic.

While our government is working hard to contain the spread of the coronavirus, our citizens can help as well. I would urge everyone to get their information directly from CDC.gov, follow the latest developments and learn about easy ways to avoid getting sick. Our citizens should go about their daily lives, but just take some additional precautions.

America must always be ahead of the game on viral threats like these, and as long as we’re all smart and look out for each other, we’ll beat back this virus and keep our country healthy.

Ted Budd is the congressman for North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District, which includes Rowan County.