Governor Hogan announced yesterday that he has successfully negotiated an interstate compact with six other states and the Rockefeller Foundation to acquire 3.5 million rapid antigen tests, which deliver results in 15-20 minutes.
The historic agreement includes Republican and Democratic governors, such as Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. The Rockefeller Foundation will assist by facilitating financing mechanisms to support this large-scale interstate testing compact.
Here’s what they’re saying about Governor Hogan’s bipartisan interstate compact:
The New York Times reported the bipartisan agreement was negotiated by the “Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland, a Republican, during the final days of his tenure as chairman of the National Governors Association.”
The Washington Post reported Governor Hogan’s initiative is “a first-of-its-kind purchasing compact” that states “hope will pressure companies that make rapid-detection tests to quickly ramp up production.”
Bloomberg reported that the deal “brings together politicians of different parties.”
NPR reported the tests will “speed up coronavirus testing” by “quickly detect[ing] the virus.”
The Hill reported that the tests “can be used to help detect outbreaks more quickly and expand long-term testing in congregate settings such as schools, workplaces and nursing homes.”