CHENANGO COUNTY — Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22) spent the last two days traveling through the 22nd Congressional District to distribute COVID-19 testing kits to frontline workers, first responders, schools, nursing homes, and nonprofits.

The tests were given to Tenney's office by New York State, and while they have been supplying them to those who call, Tenney said she wanted to ensure her team was being proactive in providing access to tests for those who need them.

"We’ve been getting a lot of requests for the test kits, so we wanted to make sure we got them out to places. Either veterans' organizations, police, nursing homes. People that really needed the test kits, especially where they had vulnerable citizens or they had situations where they could use them," said Tenney. "We didn’t want to wait and be reactionary, we wanted to make sure we were proactive in getting them out to people."

On Wednesday, January 26 and Thursday, January 27, Tenney visited all eight counties in the 22nd District to deliver the tests. In Chenango County, she made visits to the New Berlin Fire Department, the NYS Veterans' Home in Sherburne, and met with officers and Chief Rodney Marsh at the City of Norwich Police Department.

These tests will serve as a preventative measure against the spread of COVID-19. Tenney also spoke to other protective measures, such as vaccines and mask wearing. She advised that those who are able should receive a vaccine to protect themselves, as it can prevent serious illness, or even death.

"Certainly we know more and more cases than not, people who are vaccinated seem to, when they do get COVID and they have to be hospitalized, they have a better success rate and are recovering quicker," she said. "Consult with your doctor, know your family history, and if you’re safe and it’s something you can tolerate you definitely should do it, because it can be lifesaving in the end."

However, she also stressed that utilizing precautions such as vaccines and masks should be left to the discretion of the individual and their healthcare provider.

"If they choose to, and they think they’re safe, and it’s something their doctor thinks they should do, then we advise people to do that. But there are people that don’t feel comfortable getting vaccinated, and there are people with health conditions that are concerned about getting vaccinated," she explained. "We support the vaccine, we just don’t support the mandate."

According to Tenney, mandated vaccines and mask wearing go beyond infringing on personal freedoms; They have also proven to have a negative impact on schools and healthcare. She explained that speech pathologists in the district have reached out about the challenges masking has presented to young children developing speech.

"They have sent me videos, and it’s not scientific evidence yet, but they have experienced real problems with children, and children learning to develop," Tenney said. "Especially in kindergarten and first grade, the mask wearing prevents them from advancing. So we're almost two years behind now with advancements, with developing speech properly, and a lot of that is a huge issue."

In the healthcare field, Tenney has spoken with nurses who were on the front lines in 2020, who have since been let go from their positions after being unable to receive a vaccine. One of them had developed a heart condition after contracting COVID that made it potentially unsafe to get vaccinated.

"Her doctor advised her not to get the shot. He said your antibodies are durable and you should, as long as you maintain the precautions, you should be able to continue your job as a nurse," said Tenney. "30 years, and she was terminated from her position. And so she provided lifesaving care through COVID, sometimes 70, 80 hours a week in 2020, and now she has no job in healthcare, and she’s a terrific person."

"So this is the unreasonableness of this type of thing that’s happening," she continued. "I think that the governor has some reason that she is pursuing an authoritarian sort of agenda here, as we go through Omicron ... So [I'm] disappointed that she’s pursuing the mandates, because we have a crisis in healthcare already, and now that crisis is made even worse."

Ultimately, Tenney said it's time for New York State to get back to normal, and individuals should be allowed to choose what COVID precautions they want to use moving forward.

"Other states have not had vaccine and mask mandates, and they have lower death rates, they have lower contraction rates, and they’ve had more success in their education," said Tenney. "We’ve lost a lot of time. It’s time to catch up, it’s time to have precautions and common sense."

"I think people have had enough," she added. "I think people want to get back to normal."