REUTERS/Eric Thayer
- At least three congressional lawmakers have tested positive for the novel coronavirus as of Sunday, March 22.
- Offices on Capitol Hill were closed and numerous congressional staffers have been sent back home as public areas and businesses in the US widely initiated a temporary lockdown.
- Here are the lawmakers serving in Congress who have tested positive for COVID-19.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
At least three congressional lawmakers have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, as of Sunday.
Offices on Capitol Hill were closed and numerous congressional staffers have been sent back home as public areas and businesses in the US widely initiated a temporary lockdown to prevent the disease from spreading.
As of Sunday evening, at least 33,400 confirmed cases were recorded in the US, with patients ranging from the contiguous states and US territories, including Guam, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. There have also been upwards of 400 deaths.
Lawmakers from both parties have self-quarantined after potentially coming in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. Those lawmakers included Republican Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, Ted Cruz of Texas, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, among others.
One person who tested positive interacted with several other Republicans at the Conservative Political Action Conference in late February, prompting additional tests for congressional leaders and White House officials.
In a statement on March 18, the congressional physician said he was "carefully monitoring" the situation.
"My office has taken appropriate actions to identify any individuals who require additional monitoring for periods of quarantine," the Office of Attending Physician said in his statement, adding his office "identified the offices and locations that were found to be at risk and these have been treated ... using CDC approved cleaning methods."
Here are all the lawmakers serving in Congress who have tested positive for the coronavirus so far:
Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida announced that he had tested positive for the virus on March 18.
y Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Image
Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida was the first congressional lawmaker to announce that he had tested positive for the coronavirus.
In a statement from his office on March 18, the Republican lawmaker said he developed symptoms, including fever and a headache, on March 14. Instead of returning back to his home state, Diaz-Balart self-quarantined at his apartment in Washington, DC.
He tested positive for COVID-19 several days later.
"I want everyone to know that I am feeling much better," Diaz-Balart said in a statement, though he urged Americans to take the virus "extremely seriously."
Rep. Ben McAdams of Utah announced that he tested positive for COVID-19 on March 18, shortly after Diaz-Balart's announcement.
Rick Bowmer/AP
Rep. Ben McAdams of Utah, the state's only US House lawmaker in the Democratic Party, is the second lawmaker to test positive for the coronavirus.
He said he experienced "mild cold-like symptoms" upon his return from Washington, DC, and got tested shortly thereafter.
"I am still working for Utahns and pursuing efforts to get Utahns the resources they need as I continue doing my job from home until I know it is safe to end my self-quarantine," McAdams said in his statement. "I'm doing my part as all Americans are doing to contain the spread of the virus and mitigate the coronavirus outbreak."
Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky announced that he tested positive for the virus on March 22.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky tested positive for COVID-19, his office said in a tweet on Sunday. Paul is the first US senator to test positive.
"He is feeling fine and is in quarantine," Paul's office said. "He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person."
Paul published an op-ed in The Hill earlier this week calling for "aggressive but prudent actions" to combat the rapid spread of the disease.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has tested positive for the novel coronavirus
- White supremacists discussed using the coronavirus as a bioweapon, explosive internal document reveals
- Trump forced to shut down Mar-a-Lago as the coronavirus continues sweeping across the US
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