Perhaps a general consensus is emerging among the regulators as to what the needed enhancements are that will restore the MAX to airline service.
If so, it is extremely well hidden from the travelling public.That suggests considerable further delay, because there will need to be general agreement that the aircraft is safe to fly.
For instance, China is one of the major MAX customers, but in the current near trade conflict environment, Boeing will not get much leeway there.
So the question to the experts here is whether a plausible scenario for a return to flight before 2020 is even possible, much less likely, given the technical and political obstacles.