On Tuesday (Jan. 12), Illinois Congressman Brad Schneider, a Democrat, was diagnosed with the Chinese Communist virus, after several lawmakers have tested positive for the virus. Capitol physicians warned that many lawmakers stayed in the chamber for long periods of time due to the Jan. 6 turmoil in Congress, which created a high risk of spreading the virus.
On Tuesday, Schneider released a statement in which he announced that he himself had tested positive for the CCP virus that morning and had to go into quarantine. Schneider blamed the contamination on the Jan. 6 clash at the Capitol, where he had to be with other lawmakers for hours.
“I don’t know where I contracted this virus, not even necessarily from the Capitol chamber,” Schneider said while in quarantine at his suburban Chicago home, “but I do know that I was exposed to a greater degree in the chamber than at any other time during the entire pandemic. “
Within about 24 hours, three House Democrats had announced that they had tested positive, and before Schneider, Rep. P. Milmil Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (N.J.) were also quarantined with confirmed C.C.V. diagnoses.
Brian Moynihan, the Capitol’s attending physician, warned that the Capitol may have become a potential site for the spread of the outbreak, with many lawmakers staying in spacious conference rooms for hours on Jan. 6, while others took refuge in cramped rooms that could lead to prolonged contact between members of Congress and those infected with the virus.
It is uncertain which members of Congress will be potential targets for transmission, but the Capitol’s attending physician issued a potential virus exposure warning for all members of the House and urged members to be tested.
A few days ago, Republican Rep. Chuck Fleischmann announced his diagnosis of COVID-19 after a joint session, and he said he is now able to adapt to working remotely. Several other lawmakers were placed in quarantine prior to the meeting due to the diagnosis.
On Jan. 6, the U.S. Congress was in recess midway through a joint session on election certification after protesters broke into the Capitol building, during which many House members remained in the chamber for more than six hours.
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