Two Lawmakers Who’ve Been With Trump Recently Are Now in Self-Quarantine
Two Lawmakers Who’ve Been With Trump Recently Are Now in Self-Quarantine
(Bloomberg) -- Two members of Congress who’ve recently been at events with President Donald Trump are among five lawmakers who are putting themselves in quarantine or restricting their work after contact with individuals who tested positive for the coronavirus.
Republican Representatives Doug Collins of Georgia and Matt Gaetz of Florida on Monday became the latest lawmakers in a self-imposed quarantine after learning they’d come in contact at a conservative group’s conference with an individual who subsequently tested positive for the novel coronavirus that has been spreading globally.
Collins greeted Trump in Atlanta Friday and was with him at an appearance at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Gaetz traveled on Air Force One with Trump returning to Washington on Monday.
Representative Paul Gosar of Florida and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas also came in contact with the infected individual at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in suburban Washington at the end of February. Cruz was at the White House last week, though it’s not clear if he met with Trump.
All four have said they have not experienced any symptoms and are quarantining themselves out of caution.
Cruz’s office said in a statement that medical authorities have assured the senator “that anyone who has interacted with him over the last 11 days should not be concerned about potential transmission and they do not require any special treatment, including self-quarantine.”
Gaetz, a close Trump ally who tweeted a photo of himself wearing a gas mask on the House floor last Wednesday, said on Twitter that he was informed on Monday about his possible exposure at the conference 11 days ago and was tested.
Separately, Democratic Representative Julia Brownley of California said she was closing her Washington office and working remotely after being informed by local public health officials that someone she met with last week tested positive for COVID-19, as the virus is known.
Congressional leaders are weighing the risks of continuing to work in an environment that brings them in close contact with a wide variety of members of the public against generating additional fear about the virus outbreak.
“Right now we see no reason not to proceed to do the work we need to do,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said congressional leaders “need to be careful that we don’t create panic.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday gave no indication that he plans to alter the Senate’s schedule.
“This is not a time for fear,” McConnell said on the Senate floor. “It is a time to continue calmly scaling up the serious and smart preparations that have already been under way so the United States can continue working to blunt, slow and mitigate the spread within our borders.”
The attending physician of the Congress, Dr. Brian Monahan, briefed top congressional staff members, some of whom raised questions about whether Congress should extend its recess.
“That’s for the leaders to decide,” Monahan said in an interview after the closed-door meeting.
Asked whether he saw a lot of concern in the packed room of congressional staffers, Monahan said: “I’m seeing what is seen all over the country. There is a lot of apprehension.”
Officials canceled a mock emergency session of the House that was to have been held by staff members next week because of concerns that holding it during the coronavirus outbreak might alarm the public, according to a person familiar with the planning.
House members weren’t expected to attend the drill in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The session had been planned months ago, before the virus outbreak.
Such mock sessions have been held during legislative breaks once or twice each year. They began after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, as part of routine preparation for disasters or other issues that could force a congressional relocation.
House employees who work on security and floor operations participate in the off-site mock sessions. The site is most often a large auditorium, and the drill can last two or three days.
The decision to scrap next week’s drill came out of concern that it would be mistakenly interpreted as a response to the coronavirus, according to the person, who asked for anonymity because the planning hasn’t been made public.
--With assistance from Laura Litvan.
To contact the reporters on this story: Billy House in Washington at bhouse5@bloomberg.net;Erik Wasson in Washington at ewasson@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Laurie Asséo
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