New Rule Will Let Doctors Practice Across State Lines Amid CCP Virus Pandemic

Stuart Malcolm, a doctor with the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic, speaks with homeless people about the CCP coronavirus in the Haight Ashbury area of San Francisco California on March 17, 2020. (Josh Edelso/AFP via Getty Images)

A rule coming soon from the federal government will allow doctors and medical professionals to practice across state lines amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

At President Donald Trump’s direction, the Department of Health and Human Services is issuing a regulation today that will “allow all doctors and medical professionals to practice across state lines to meet the needs of hospitals that may arise in adjoining areas,” Vice President Mike Pence told reporters on Wednesday.

The announcement came after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday asked retired workers and medical students to sign up to care for patients ahead of an expected surge in patients infected with the CCP virus and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said the state would allow doctors with licenses from other states or expired licenses from Maryland to practice medicine in the state.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes a disease called COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Party’s coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.

The Trump administration has announced wide-ranging changes to healthcare, including lifting all restrictions on telehealth services covered by Medicare, to try to blunt the spread of the new disease.

A medical professional, supported by New York Army National Guard members, collects swabs to test for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections in New Rochelle, New York, on March 15, 2020. (Senior Airman Sean Madden/U.S. Air National Guard/Handout via Reuters)

“From the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, President Trump has been knocking out every bureaucratic obstacle possible that stands in the way of a rapid and effective response,” Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement.

The White House is also supporting legislation that includes free testing for people showing symptoms of the virus as well as paid sick leave and family medical leave for workers affected by the illness.

COVID-19 has prompted restrictions in nearly every state. Some governors have ordered the closure of bars, restaurants, and other businesses and barred gatherings above a certain size.

The federal government is advising people not to gather in groups of 10 or more.

The virus primarily spreads through close contact, defined as within six feet, or through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

Ways to avoid contracting the illness include avoiding sick people, regularly cleaning objects and surfaces like doorknobs, and frequently washing hands, especially before eating and after visiting public places.