The letter asked for the federal government to extend the COVID-19 public health emergency beyond its expiration date of July 26, 2020 and to keep waivers of Section 1135 and Section 1812(f) of the Social Security Act in place until certain goals, such as developing a vaccine, provision of personal protective equipment in sufficient quantities, and nursing homes reaching pre-pandemic staffing levels, are met. These sections allow the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to issue blanket waivers to facilitate access to care during an emergency. The agency used a set of waivers in March 2020 including a temporary relaxation of Medicare’s restrictions on distance medicine.