President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed into law a coronavirus relief package that includes provisions for free testing for Covid-19 and paid emergency leave.

The Senate had earlier Wednesday approved the House-passed bill. The move allowed the upper chamber to devote its full attention to passing the next relief package in response to the coronavirus crisis.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Senate Republicans had been critical of the House-passed legislation but emphasized that it is urgent to get relief to the American people amid the coronavirus crisis.

McConnell reiterated Wednesday that he would not adjourn the Senate until it passed what lawmakers are describing as a “phase three” economic stimulus package in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

After an initial vote last week, the House approved a set of changes to the legislation on Monday, clearing the path for the Senate to take it up this week.

The House legislation was negotiated between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Trump administration and the President expressed support for it.

  • Slide 1 of 50: People stand in designated areas on the floor of an elevator as a social distancing effort to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus at a shopping mall in Surabaya, Indonesia, Thursday, March 19, 2020. The vast majority of people recover from the new coronavirus. According to the World Health Organization, most people recover in about two to six weeks, depending on the severity of the illness. (AP Photo/Trisnadi)

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  • Slide 2 of 50: PERTH, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 19: A shopper walks the aisles carrying a pack of toilet paper at Costco Perth on March 19, 2020 in Perth, Australia. The store, which is the first Costco in Western Australia, is limiting toilet paper purchases to one packet per customer, in response to panic buying across Australia as fears over the COVID-19 pandemic grow. There are 596 confirmed cases of COVID-19 In Australia and 20 confirmed deaths,. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

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  • Slide 3 of 50: A local medical worker embraces and bids farewell to a medical worker from Jiangsu at the Wuhan Railway Station as the medical team from Jiangsu leaves Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Hubei province, China March 19, 2020. China Daily via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. CHINA OUT. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC2WMF94JYMV

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  • Slide 4 of 50: TOPSHOT - Council workers and firemen disinfect a street as a precautionary measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus in Quezon City on March 19, 2020. (Photo by Maria TAN / AFP) (Photo by MARIA TAN/AFP via Getty Images)

To aid in social distancing, McConnell announced ahead of the final vote that senators would take precautions during the vote.

“What we’ll do is have a 30-minute roll call vote. We want to avoid congregating here in the well,” he said. “I would encourage our colleagues to come in and vote and depart the chamber so we don’t have gaggles of conversation here on the floor. That’s particularly important for our staff here and the front of the chamber, so I would encourage everyone to take full advantage of a full 30-minute roll call vote. Come in and vote, and leave.”

He asked members to be aware of “social distancing” as they came over to the chamber and departed it and said, “With that, I think we will be able to get through the voting that will occur in all likelihood later today without violating any of the safety precautions that have been recommended to us by the Capitol Physician and others.”

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Trump’s support for the House measure cleared the way for a broad, bipartisan vote in the House at the end of last week. The House later approved a set of changes to the legislation on Monday, clearing the path for the Senate to consider it, which scaled back their efforts to offer millions of Americans paid sick and family leave.

The revised legislation would still provide many workers with up to two weeks of paid sick leave if they are being tested or treated for coronavirus or have been diagnosed with it. Also eligible would be those who have been told by a doctor or government official to stay home because of exposure or symptoms.

Under the revised bill, however, those payments would be capped at $511 a day, roughly what someone making $133,000 earns annually. The original measure called for workers to receive their full pay but limited federal reimbursement to employers to that amount.

Workers with family members affected by coronavirus and those whose children’s schools have closed would still receive up to two-thirds of their pay, though that benefit would now be limited to $200 a day.

This story has been updated with additional developments Wednesday.

Credit: msn