On Tuesday, McConnell made his first public appearances in Kentucky since mid-March, speaking at hospitals in Louisville and Lexington.
In an interview with West Kentucky Star, McConnell said, "I decided the best use of my time this week would be to visit hospitals and thank the health care workers who have been so instrumental in getting us through this pandemic."
McConnell also said he wants to encourage people to re-engage, saying that it is time to start up our businesses and our economy, and to begin moving safely in the direction of getting back to normal.
When asked about the possibility of another round of relief funding similar to the CARES Act, McConnell replied, "There may be another bill, but we need to carefully craft it, bearing in mind that we've now got a debt the size of our economy for the first time since World War II as a result of what we've already done."
"I think we need to measure the success of the CARES Act - what worked, what didn't - and see what kind of an impact the economy opening up across Kentucky and across America has," McConnell continued.
He said he believes the development of a vaccine is instrumental in returning to normal and remains hopeful that this may happen before the end of the year.
"I talked to a couple of CEOs of major pharmaceutical companies that are in a crash program to see if they can develop a vaccine before the end of the year, so we may put this in the rearview mirror as early as this fall, I hope," said McConnell.
For coronavirus updates or more information on resources available to families and businesses, Kentuckians can visit McConnell's Coronavirus Response Portal at mcconnell.senate.gov or by clicking the link below.
On the Net:
McConnell's Coronavirus Portal
