My home state of New Jersey is a coronavirus hot spot. At the time of writing, it’s ranked second in the nation for cases. These are certainly trying times for us, but New Jersey is rising to the challenge. I know that’s true because I’m seeing it firsthand as a state legislator — and as a first responder.
While each of us fights the good fight and does our part, states should seek inspiration and guidance from their legislatures, which are working hard to keep constituents safe and the economy running. And looking to New Jersey is a great place to start.
Service runs in my blood. My father was a police officer, and my husband is a physician. I was mayor of Holmdel, a Monmouth County freeholder, and now I’m the assemblywoman for New Jersey’s 13th legislative district. I’ve also volunteered for my local first aid squad for more than a decade.
At the time of writing this, my home county of Monmouth has 3,248 cases of the coronavirus and 98 deaths, and part of the job when dealing with COVID-19 along with my fellow first aid squad members, and as a state legislator, is to make sure everyone is safe.
That can mean simply checking in on patients, as I often do with my colleagues at the first aid squad. But another important way to ensure the safety of our communities is to increase the availability of testing.
The South Korean experience has made clear that testing is vital. By March 16, South Korea had tested 1 in 200 people, and that has allowed it to tackle the pandemic without overreaching lockdowns. Locally, I worked with the Office of Emergency Management, state police, and the governor to open COVID-19 testing sites here. I visit the coronavirus testing site at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel often.
It’s also important to make sure in these trying times that we acknowledge the tremendous sacrifices the people of New Jersey, and folks all over the country, are making to help flatten the curve of this pandemic. People have lost their jobs, families have been separated, and others are going through this time completely alone.
That’s why we must minimize the impacts our response has on people’s lives to only what is necessary. Locally, some hospitals were banning anyone but the pregnant woman from the delivery room. The birth of a child is one of the most important events in a parent’s life, and to bar a loved one (especially when that person is likely in constant close contact with the patient already) is unacceptable.
So, we advocated Gov. Phil Murphy’s office for pregnant women to be allowed a “support person,” and the governor acceded to our request on March 31.
We’ve also called on the governor to stop proposed toll hikes during this crisis. It seems obvious. Toll hikes simply shouldn’t happen in a pandemic that people are already struggling to get through. On March 27, we called for Murphy to institute temporary public health law changes to protect healthcare workers from undue civil liability as they do their best to get on top of this virus. He acceded to this request on April 1.
In the end, if there is a takeaway from our experience in New Jersey, it is to take this pandemic seriously, test often, and respect the sacrifices that not only our first responders are making, but also everyday people, too.
We must win this fight while respecting our constituents. In a time of crisis, it is vital to give back to the community because we need all hands on deck to beat COVID-19; we need to work together. I know we’re not the only ones, though. State legislators across the country are working hard to find answers and real responses for their constituents, and they are working hard to ensure America can get back to business as soon as the curve is flattened.
Serena DiMaso is a Republican member of the New Jersey General Assembly and represents District 13. She currently serves as chairwoman of the Bayshore Hospital Foundation and as an active member of the Holmdel First Aid Squad.
