Weekend update

Congress had been scheduled to be on State / district work breaks this coming week. However, after the House passed a bipartisan COVID-19 relief bill (H.R. 6201) on Friday, the Senate leadership decided to consider H.R. 6201 week. According to the Wall Street Journal, the President is ready to sign the bill into law.

The Congressional bill summary explains

This bill responds to the coronavirus outbreak by providing paid sick leave (Divisions D, E, and F) and free coronavirus testing [Division G, a new mandate on all types of health plans], expanding food assistance and unemployment benefits, and requiring employers to provide additional protections for health care workers. 

The Hill reports that

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Sunday that it is possible it will take “a few months” before life goes “back to normal” amid the coronavirus outbreak.

“Can you try to help us understand, when will life get back to normal?” ABC’s Jonathan Karl asked Fauci on “This Week.”

“It’s going to be a matter of several weeks to a few months, for sure,” Fauci responded.

The FEHBBlog’s current read, the Great Influenza, has made him a strong believer in the social distancing principle that Dr. Fauci and many others are advocating in the face of the COVID-19 outbreak.