Sen. McSally: Recovery checks ‘an important start’ to rebuilding economy

PHOENIX — She may not call them stimulus checks, but Arizona Sen. Martha McSally sees the good in the “relief and recovery support” being done amid the coronavirus spread.

Joining The Mike Broomhead Show on KTAR News 92.3 FM on Wednesday, McSally spoke on the benefit of the economic impact support.

“It’s an important start — I see people in my neighborhood, we all have people in every community across Arizona who have been laid off. They were single parents or dual-income parents laid off, living paycheck to paycheck and they need support to put food on the table to get through this crisis,” McSally said.

A family of four is expected to receive $3,400, providing some immediate relief, McSally added.

“We just need to have an all-hands-on-deck approach here for how we support workers and small businesses as we get through this so we can rebound quickly on the other side.”

While stimulus checks have already begun showing up in back accounts around the country, McSally feels there’s still more to be done to help rebuild the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for small businesses and health care workers.

Another point of emphasis for McSally has been an expansion of point-of-care testing, which would not only keep more people healthy but provide better data when looking at possibly reopening the state.

“We need to have that same level of vigor for widespread point-of-care testing of who has the virus and who had the virus to help inform these decisions so we can help save lives but also safely allow people to work,” McSally said.

A private lab with offices in metro Phoenix and Tucson has already begun offering rapid antibody testing for the COVID-19 virus.

The tests can turn up two types of antibodies, immunoglobulin M, which are short term, and immunoglobulin G, which stay in the blood longer. Accuracy is in the 90s.

On April 4, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced a broader shutdown of businesses after updating his “essential business” requirements, including barber shops, nail and tanning salons, tattoo parlors.

The decision came after Ducey was pressed multiple times during a virtual town hall by moderators and through questions submitted by citizens for clarity on the issue.

It generally had been assumed that such services were considered “essential” under his “Stay Home, Stay Healthy, Stay Connected” executive order that went into effect March 31.

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