iStock/oonal (WASHINGTON, D.C.) — While the House readies a vote on a historic three trillion dollar package for COVID-19 relief on Friday, the Senate has promised the bill is dead on arrival.
While the 1,800 page relief package, called the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions — or HEROES Act, contains language allowing more federal relief for Americans, Republicans say it contains too many provisions unrelated to the pandemic and have since dubbed it a “liberal wishlist.”
House Leader Nancy Pelosi said she is open to negotiations and that the bill contains numerous provisions formerly supported by Republicans.
On top of more stimulus payments to Americans, the package also includes an extension to unemployment benefits, $1 trillion in aid for local, state and tribal governments, assistance to front-line workers and other Democratic measures.
Democrats hope the bill will open negotiations as more Americans are out of work due to the pandemic and businesses are struggling in the volatile economy.
Due to the uncertainty surrounding how to safely reopen states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated their list of instructions on how to avoid triggering a second wave of COVID-19. The guidelines provide “decision tools” for businesses such as childcare programs and hospitality institutions.
Some guidelines encourage social distancing guidelines among patrons and flexible leave for employees.
Despite the new guidelines, health experts such as Doctor Anthony Fauci have discouraged the rush to reopen, saying it could cause a larger outbreak of the virus if certain precautions are not met.
COVID-19 has killed over 300,000 people and sickened 4.4 million worldwide, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. In the U.S., there have been 1.4 million confirmed cases and at more than 85,000 deaths.
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