Coronavirus has hit Capitol Hill, as the first members of Congress have tested positive for the virus.
Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and Ben McAdams (D-Utah) announced diagnoses late Wednesday. Diaz-Balart’s office said he had developed symptoms Saturday evening and was notified Wednesday of a positive test. Both had voted on the House floor as recently as Saturday morning, to pass the coronavirus relief bill.
Rep. Ben McAdams, D-Utah (Left), Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla. (Right)
At least five other members of Congress are quarantining because they had contact with the lawmakers, including Rep. Steve Scalise, the second-highest ranking Republican in the House.
Some lawmakers had been pushing for ways to vote remotely, particularly since congressional members are disproportionately in higher-risk categories for coronavirus complications. Forty-eight senators are over the age of 65, the age at which some states have recommended individuals to stay inside their homes.
Senator Dick Durban (D-Ill.) has said “it’s time for the Senate to wake up to the 21st century and make sure we’re using technology that allows us to communicate with each other without any danger or risk to public health.”
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has issued an executive order to delay the state’s scheduled Tuesday presidential primary election for two months because of the coronavirus pandemic.
New York City could start burying its dead in city parks if the mortality rate from coronavirus doesn’t decline soon, according to City Council Health Committee Chair Mark Levine.
Lenders are raising serious concerns about the Payroll Protection Program, which was scheduled to launch Friday, citing a lack of information from the government on how and if the emergency loan program will even work and leading some to opt out of it.
President Donald Trump has announced new federal guidelines recommending that Americans wear face coverings when in public. The president immediately said he had no intention of following the advice himself.
Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore. 2nd District) supports the "basic public health protocol" is leading to drastic mitigation of the pandemic in his state of Oregon.
Stocks are falling again on Wall Street, putting the market on track for its third down week in the last four. The S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq were each down more than 2.5%.
Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, and ex-wife of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, said that RFK Human Rights has freed over 200 people in 10 cities over the last two and a half weeks. These people were put in jail and awaiting trial, some for as little as a $25 fine for an overdue parking ticket.
The governor said he has spoken with hospital administrators and understands the reluctance to give up essential equipment, but that he wants to avoid a situation where COVID-19 patients are dying in one part of the state while ventilators sit unused in another part of the state.
Stocks are falling in morning trading on Wall Street, putting the S&P 500 on track for its third down week in the last four. But the losses are much milder than what's rocked investors the last couple months.
The Trump administration is formalizing new guidance to recommend that many Americans wear face coverings in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, as the president is aggressively defending his response to the public health crisis.
