Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal announced today that she has tested positive for coronavirus after being locked down in a secured room at the US Capitol where several Republican lawmakers recklessly refused to wear masks in the moments after the January 6 attack.
Dr Brian Monahan, the Attending Physician of the United States Congress, had advised representatives and Congressional staff that those in the secured room could have, “been exposed to another occupant with coronavirus infection.”
"The duration in the room was multiple hours and several Republicans not only refused to wear a mask but mocked colleagues and staff who offered them one," a statement released by Jayapal's office read.
Jayapal said she began quarantining immediately after the attack on the Capitol, fearing and foreseeing exactly what would occur given the number of maskless lawmakers sitting in the same room with her. So far, Jayapal and New Jersey representative Bonnie Watson Coleman, also a Democrat, have tested positive.
“Only hours after President Trump incited a deadly assault on our Capitol, our country, and our democracy, many Republicans still refused to take the bare minimum COVID-19 precaution and simply wear a damn mask in a crowded room during a pandemic — creating a superspreader event on top of a domestic terrorist attack,” said Congresswoman Jayapal.
“I am also calling for serious fines to be immediately levied on every single Member who refuses to wear a mask in the Capitol,” Jayapal continued.