The odds of coronavirus affecting the health of most Americans is very low, but the epidemic is affecting everyone in terms of what it is doing to the economy, and taking proper precautions and preventing additional spread of the disease is how an economic recovery can begin, according to Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo.

"We need to act from a congressional standpoint on doing the things that will have an immediate impact on those families who find themselves in that situation," Barrasso told Thursday's Fox News "America's Newsroom."  

Legislation signed last week authoring $8.5 billion in the coronavirus fight was an important step, Barrasso said, because it allows money needed to develop vaccines and other treatments, as well as more testing.

"All of that is important because, until the American public and the world believes that the disease itself is behind us, we're going to continue to have the concerns that you are seeing reflected in the market today," Barrasso said.

Several lawmakers are shutting down their offices over the virus' spread, but Barrasso said he does not expect operations on Capitol Hill will come to an end.

"Some people will certainly be working from home," he said, "We do now have a case of, a positive case in one of the Senate offices . . . we need all take the precautions whether it's on the workplace on Capitol Hill or the workplaces around America."

Barrasso also said he thought President Donald Trump's Wednesday address from the Oval Office was reassuring about protecting the United States from people coming in, as well as what to do at home to prevent the spread of coronavirus. 

"I think we need to do more to help people with paid sick leave, to make sure that those people who are sick will stay home or if they have to stay home for quarantine purposes," he said.

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