New cases of the coronavirus are appearing daily across the United States, and Congress has not yet finalized its financial relief package. Meanwhile, senators have returned home for their usual three-day break.

To his credit, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell canceled next week’s planned recess so the Senate can help the nation prepare for the coronavirus’s continued spread. But senators still disbanded on Thursday, putting policy-related solutions on hold until next week and allowing senators to travel to their home states.

This allowance is irresponsible. This crisis requires our government’s complete attention because there are important policy-related questions that do not have answers. How will the federal government solve the testing shortage and make tests for the virus widely available? Will the government be able to ease the economic effects that have contributed to falling stocks?

The three-day break is concerning given how quickly this virus spreads. At the start of this month, there were 70 confirmed cases in the U.S. As of Friday afternoon, at least 1,714 people in 47 states have tested positive for the coronavirus. This situation has developed rapidly, and we can be sure the next three days will pose new challenges — challenges our legislators must face in real time.

The weekend off is a problem in and of itself, but it is also problematic that senators were allowed to travel at all. Sen. Susan Collins returned to Maine, which just announced two “presumptive positive” cases on Friday, to meet with state officials. Given Collins’s upcoming reelection battle, her desire to be present is understandable, but this was an unnecessary risk. Our leaders should be avoiding public contact as much as possible given the severity of the outbreak, even if that means sacrificing face time with constituents.

The coronavirus outbreak will get worse before it gets better, according to our health officials, and our government must be vigilant and prepared. That means our senators will need to make sacrifices. Their three-day weekend should have been the first to go.