Senator Chuck Grassley has returned to Iowa from Washington, D.C. for the Senate recess and is encouraging people to practice social distancing. He shares what he and his wife are doing to protect themselves from COVID-19, “We’ve decided to isolate in our home. We’re cancelling our Easter family get-together. Obviously, we don’t go to church anymore, we watch it online. We don’t go to the Village Inn with the family to eat anymore. We do facetime with family now, and friends. And we’re just going to try to do our part to not spread the virus or get the virus. And we’re practicing whatever else to do, cover your cough, wash your hands, use disinfectant.”

He encourages Iowans to follow suit, “I would hope that you would follow the rules of separation, unless you’re an essential business or service. And even within those essential businesses and services practice as much separation as you can. Follow the rules that we’re all told to follow. And I believe that we’re going to come out of this stronger than we have been before. And this is probably more unity our country’s had since World War II of pulling together.”

Grassley explained that the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act will help across the country during the public health emergency. The Act allows critical access hospitals to receive up to a 125% advance on Medicare payments to help with cash flow, provides $1.32 billion in supplemental funding to community health centers, and increases funding for telehealth services for providers to see patients remotely. As of Monday, Iowa has 424 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with six deaths.