A Washington State Congressman tested positive for the coronavirus after sheltering with several maskless lawmakers when a pro-Trump mob besieged the Capitol last week.
Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal made her diagnosis about COVID public in a statement Monday night, blaming Republican lawmakers for refusing to put on masks in a secure room during the hour-long lockdown.
“Too many Republicans have refused to take this pandemic and virus seriously, putting everyone around them at risk,” Jayapal wrote.
Just hours after President Trump instigated a deadly attack on our Capitol, our country, and our democracy, many Republicans still refused to take the absolutely minimal COVID-19 precaution and just wear a damn mask in a crowded room during a pandemic – creating a superspreader event on top of a domestic terrorist attack. ”
Jayapal is the second known lawmaker to test positive in the aftermath of the Capitol riots.
Earlier Monday, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey points out her positive diagnosis.
Coleman also took shelter with maskless lawmakers, although it was not immediately clear whether she and Jayapal were in the same room.
On Sunday, Dr. Brian Monahan, head of the attending physician’s convention bureau, warned lawmakers that they may have been exposed to the virus while huddled in search of shelter.
Jayapal has been in quarantine since the attack on the Capitol and said she plans to work in isolation.