The World Health Organization yesterday announced that a recent outbreak of a deadly strain of coronavirus is now a “global pandemic”, and nations around the globe are struggling to respond both aggressively and without panic.

President Trump announced a number of initiatives in an address to the nation on Wednesday night, including both health directives and economic stimulus possibilities that could keep America’s fight with COVID-19 from spiraling out of control.

Just hours ahead of the announcements by the Commander in Chief, however, a congressional staffer became the first on Capitol Hill to test positive for the illness.

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A staffer for US Sen. Maria Cantwell has tested positive for coronavirus — the first known congressional worker to catch the virus, her office said Wednesday.

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The unidentified patient, who works out of Cantwell’s Washington, DC, office, has had no known contact with the senator or other lawmakers, Cantwell’s office said in a statement.

The diagnosis led Cantwell to close her DC office for the remainder of the week. Remaining staffers will work remotely.

Cantwell hails from Washington State, where a nasty outbreak of the virus has been under investigation for several weeks after several residents at a senior living center passed away after contracting the illness.

The unidentified staffer is the first to test positive for the virus, but several lawmakers have taken preventative measures after coming into contact with an infected individual during the annual CPAC conference, including Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas.  Neither Congressman has been diagnosed with COVID-19.

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