From the WashPost: To fight covid-19, Congress has to reward state cooperation

As the August recess looms, Congress is running out of time to do right by the American people with regard to the coronavirus. The craziest thing is that the most important part of what should be in the expected multi-trillion-dollar relief package is the least expensive: the estimated $75 billion necessary for public health infrastructure.

We are not in a recession arising from internal failures of the financial and market system. It’s the real economy that’s been shocked, by illness and fear, and addressing those shocks is the only way out. Only a full and effective public health response will put our economy and society back on a sound footing. And the most important thing Congress could do costs no additional money: It should distribute some portion of that needed public health appropriation in the form of bonus funds to states that establish formal regional collaborations for addressing the crucial matter of testing.