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On Monday evening, U.S. Representative for Oklahoma Kevin Hern hosted a virtual town hall to address concerns about coronavirus.

In a statement, Rep. Hern said: "Amidst social distancing and working from home, it’s more important than ever to make myself available for my constituents. Things look a little different than they used to, but I’m proud of the way our community has looked out for each other. The entire country is facing uncertainty and confusion. There’s never been a greater need for transparency and accountability with our elected leaders, which is why my staff and I are working hard to get people answers as quickly as possible.”

Dr. Johnny Stephens, Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of the Oklahoma State University College of Health Sciences, and Kelly VanBuskirk, Tulsa Health Department Chief of Health Data and Policy, joined the town hall as special guests. 2,685 callers joined the town hall and 88 questions were asked. Constituents whose questions were not answered by the end of the call had the opportunity to leave a voicemail at the end of the call.

In the last month, Representative Hern held multiple virtual town halls with the general public, as well as smaller virtual roundtables for small business owners to discuss the relief options and unique needs of our business owners during this time.

Representative Hern is updating constituents on coronavirus developments daily on his Facebook page and has created a special page on his website for coronavirus updates: hern.house.gov/covid19.

House leadership has advised Members of Congress that no votes are expected in the House until May 4, 2020. In the meantime, Representative Hern is working remotely to ensure that the next wave of coronavirus relief legislation focus on the small businesses and workers who need federal aid to survive these shutdowns.