By Illinois Radio Network
SPRINGFIELD – A state lawmaker wants the U.S. Congress to allow the people of Illinois to sue China for damages from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new coronavirus that causes COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. It has since spread across the globe, throughout Illinois.
State Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, R-Jacksonville, earlier this month introduced two resolutions that he said would compel the People’s Republic of China to pay the state of Illinois for damages caused by the virus by urging Congress to lift the sovereign immunity clause.
“Back then … information was still coming out, but I think everybody knew at that point that China had at least withheld information purposely, silencing doctors and silencing scientists that we should be listening to,” Davidsmeyer said.
He said President Donald Trump’s recent comments about the need for more investigations into a lab near the outbreak epicenter made his resolution more pertinent.
On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson said the virus is attacking all mankind and “like other countries, China is also a victim, not a perpetrator” or accomplice of COVID-19.
“Since the outbreak of COVID-19, in an open, transparent and responsible spirit, China has taken the most comprehensive, rigorous and thorough measures to contain its spread and conduct international cooperation,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said.
Davidsmeyer said something should be done to hold China accountable.
“They owe us certainly something and they certainly owe the state of Illinois something because it is going to hurt schools, it’s going to hurt the elderly, the disabled, all of us as we go through the budget process because cuts are going to have to be made,” he said.
Illinois budget officials estimate state revenue could fall by more than $7 billion for the coming fiscal year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shuang said China was not responsible for the pandemic.
“Did anyone ask the U.S. to offer compensations for the 2009 H1N1 flu, which was first diagnosed before breaking out on a large scale in the U.S. and then spread to 214 countries and regions, killing nearly 200,000 people?,” Shuang said. “AIDS was first reported in the U.S. in the 1980s and then swept across the world, causing untold sufferings to countless victims. Did anyone come forward and ask the U.S. to be held accountable?”
“The U.S. must understand that their enemy is the virus, not China,” he said.
Some have said that allowing people in the U.S. to sue China could open the U.S. up to legal actions from other countries.
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