Two Democratic lawmakers have announced they tested positive for COVID-19 after sheltering with maskless congressmen during the siege of the US Capitol last week.
Driving the news: Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) announced early on Tuesday that she was “locked up in a secure room in the Capitol where several Republicans not only cruelly refused to wear a mask, but also recklessly mocked colleagues and staff who offered them one.”
- Hours Earlier, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (DN.J.) tweeted that she decided to take a coronavirus test after last week’s events, “including shelter with several colleagues who refused to wear masks.”
- “She believes she was exposed as a result of insurgent riots during protective isolation in the US Capitol,” her office said in a statement from the 75-year-old cancer patient.
Why it matters: According to a statement by Jayapal, they found themselves in a ‘packed room’ during a pandemic, ‘triggering a superspreader event on top of a domestic terrorist attack’.
- The Capitol’s attending physician warned that lawmakers may have been exposed to someone infected with the coronavirus when they hid from a pro-Trump mob.
- Many members of Congress are in age groups and other categories that put them at higher risk of dying or developing a serious illness related to the coronavirus.
For the record: Watson said she rests at home. “Although I experience mild cold-like symptoms, I remain cheerful and will continue to work for my constituents”, she tweeted.
- Jayapal said she is isolating herself, but she will continue to work and “will not rest until I do everything I can to remove this president from office,” blaming President Trump for the uprising in the Capitol.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.