RED BANK, NEW JERSEY — The World Health Organization has declared Coronavirus (COVID-19) a pandemic, and at least 176 people in the state of New Jersey have been infected as of Monday, March 16. The city of Red Bank, where Applefield resides and has his campaign headquarters, has declared a local state of emergency, forcing local bars, restaurants, and other businesses to close down. The crisis around the disease has shown the necessity for fixing our nation’s broken health care system, supporting our small local businesses, and electing new leadership up and down ballot.

Candidate David Applefield gave the following statement:

“The urgency of this unprecedented pandemic requires a whole new set of priorities. There is nothing more important than protecting our community. The NJ hotline set up to field calls from worried residents is not set up to locate testing, to get test results, or for medical advice. As a local resident and small business owner, I believe we need to rise to a level of community solidarity, while heeding to advice of social distancing from the WHO and Governor Murphy’s office.”

Campaign Manager Lorina Aboulmouna stated that the campaign will focus on prioritizing the health and safety needs of our community. She gave the following statement:

“Our campaign is taking the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We are cancelling and postponing campaign events, suspending our door knocking operations, and moving solely to phone calls, text messages, and virtual communication methods to reach voters. We know this pandemic is taking a toll on our local economy and financially burdening our community; our goal is to lead by example in supporting local businesses by ordering takeout for staff and purchasing gift cards.”

The World Health Organization recommends you wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your face, and maintain social distance. If you experience a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, contact a health care provider immediately.

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David Applefield is a Red Bank resident and small business owner who hopes to unseat Republican incumbent Chris Smith in November, following the June 2 primary.