WASHINGTON – Congress opened for business again on Tuesday, but as the number of new discoveries of anthrax continued to climb throughout the city, lawmakers scrambled to temporary digs while waiting for a clean bill of health at their still-closed congressional office buildings.

“We’re sort of nomads and don’t have a real home or anything,” said Felicia Knight, spokeswoman for Sen. Susan Collins. “We’re doing the best we can.”

On Tuesday, Collins’ staff and those working for other senators were moved to two locations: one in the former central post office building several blocks away from the Capitol and a second in the bowels of the Capitol itself.

During the day, Knight fielded calls on her cell phone as she ran errands, including one to the Federal Express office to pick up packages waiting there. All deliveries to the Capitol and congressional office buildings have been suspended for more than a week as authorities screen all mail for the presence of anthrax.

Later in the day, Knight was in search of a fax machine for correspondence and she conceded that those constituents looking to expedite their mail to the senator might do better by temporarily directing their correspondence to the six state offices in Maine. “I don’t know when mail will resume,” she said.

Thus far, no staff members working for Maine lawmakers in Washington have tested positive for exposure to anthrax.

Employees of House members, including Maine Reps. John Baldacci and Tom Allen, have also been relocated.

Each of the nation’s 435 U.S. representatives is being allowed to have a skeleton staff of three at temporary locations in the General Accounting Office building, about six blocks away from the Capitol. Other staff members, however, are working from their homes.

“All of our phones from the D.C. offices are being forwarded to the Bangor office,” said Baldacci spokesman Doug Dunbar in Maine. “Things are functioning fairly well and all staff members are reachable at homes or in the temporary office space.”