Sen. Bernie Sanders at a rally in Las Vegas, Feb. 14, 2016. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

(CNSNews.com) - Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont--who lost the Democratic presidential primaries in Florida, Illinois and Arizona on Tuesday--said on Wednesday that because of the coronavirus the government should tell small and mid-sized business owners that the government will pay all of the salary for all of their workers.

"It's been estimated that the unemployment rate could hit 20% if we don't act boldly," Sanders said in a tweet.

"A one or two time check isn't good enough--the government must tell every small and mid-sized business owner that we'll cover 100% of their payroll if they don't lay off anyone during this crisis," he said.









