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Caught Our Eye

Coronavirus concerns take town halls virtual

Posted by Keturah Hetrick on March 23, 2020

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, members of Congress didn't slow down their town halls during last week's recess — they held them virtually and overwhelmingly used the events to communicate with constituents about the coronavirus.

Since last Monday, members have held 150 official events to communicate with constituents. During the same time period last year, members held 152 town halls.

But unlike last year, when all but six events were held in person, 88 percent (132 events) of last week's events were held over the phone. The others took place via Facebook.

Some members had initially scheduled in-person events, which they later postponed or converted to virtual formats amid worsening news of the pandemic. More than 75 percent of the town halls that took place were expressly billed as focusing on the coronavirus.