WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, 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 Chinese Communist Party must face the consequences for unleashing the virus upon the world over a year ago,” said Senator Blackburn. “Since then, the costs have been devastating: trillions of dollars in economic damage, more than $365 billion spent on unemployment assistance programs and over half a million deaths in the United States. Business owners and families who have lost loved ones deserve justice. Under this legislation, Americans will have the opportunity to take China to court in the U.S. and demand accountability for their lies and deceit.”

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.