The path back to prosperity: How we can snap back after COVID-19

When we have a tornado warning on the Eastern Plains, wailing sirens inform my neighbors and I when we need to take cover and when it is safe for us to emerge from shelter. Millions of Americans are now sheltering at home because they heard the dire warnings from our state and national leaders about COVID-19 and the dangers we saw in Washington, California, New York and Italy.

Part of the anxiety caused by this pandemic comes from the absence of an “all clear” siren telling us it is safe to go back into our communities. I hear it in the voices of Coloradans on the telephone town halls I’ve held in every county: “When will this end?” “How long must we keep our businesses closed?” “How long can we go on like this?”

There’s no easy answer and certainly not a one-size-fits-all answer from Washington. That’s why I’m working with Gov. Jared Polis to support a phase-in approach that’s right for Colorado. Communities all over the country will look ahead to the end of this hibernation from their own unique vantage point, with their own unique circumstances.

But there are steps that Congress must take to mitigate the harm as much as possible and help the American people and the American economy prepare to bounce back. Congress can help pave the path back to prosperity that our local communities can take — when it is safe. For instance, rapid, widespread testing for COVID-19 will be key to re-opening the areas that have demonstrated they have the virus under control. Congress must do what it can to make that testing as available as possible. I believe the nation needs to get to a point where coronavirus tests are widely available — even at the nearest gas station for purchase.

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