WASHINGTON, D.C. – Friday, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) reintroduced the Stop China-Originated Viral Infectious Diseases (Stop COVID) Act to ensure Beijing faces consequences for its role in spreading the novel coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China. The Stop COVID Act will empower Americans to sue China in U.S. court and seek compensation for the devastating harm the deadly virus has caused to the economy and human life.
The Stop COVID Act will make China legally and financially liable for unleashing SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19, on our country. It will also empower Americans with the legal tools to sue China in the U.S. federal court system for creating and worsening this worldwide pandemic. The legislation builds on existing law in the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and eliminates sovereign immunity for states that spread biological agents. As the world continues to recover from the loss of life and livelihood, China should be forced to pay the costs of these damages to the American people.
The bill text for the Stop COVID Act of 2021 may be found here.