"There has been a recent outbreak of Covid-19 in the capitol, and Democrats are mad."--Reeghan Walsh 6th Grade
The recent Capitol storming was a devastating event. Not only were 5 people killed, over 60 people injured, private property stolen and vandalized, and congresspeople were forced to hide together in close quarters fearing for their lives and safety, but a Covid outbreak among lawmakers occurred amidst the chaos.
As of Sunday January 24th, 8 lawmakers have tested positive for Covid, including Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D), Rep. Brad Schneider (D), Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D), Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R), Rep. Louis Corea (D), Rep. Raul Ruiz (D), and Rep. Ron Wright (R).
Watson, Coleman, Jayapal, and Schneider blame Republican anti-maskers for the outbreak of Covid. According to CNN, many republican congresspeople refused masks being offered by Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, a Democrat from Delaware. Not only did they refuse masks, but they mocked those who offered them. The anti-mask Republicans are Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Oklahoma Rep. Markwayne Mullin, Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry, Texas Rep. Michael Cloud, and California Rep. Doug LaMalfaare. Not only did they refuse masks, but they mocked those who offered them.
Rochester told CNN she was "very concerned we were sitting in a super-spreader event but instead of sitting back and lamenting, I tried to go into action to try and persuade people to put them [masks] on."
Jayapal was furious with the anti-maskers.
“Too many Republicans have refused to take this pandemic and virus seriously, and in doing so, they endanger everyone around them,” said Jayapal. “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.”
Fleischmann was not present in the secure location. He had already found that he had Covid, but he wanted to get the votes cast, and had a special box set up for him to vote inside.
“I wanted to be able to vote as I told my constituents I would, to vote against certification of the election results,” Fleischmann said. "So I got those votes cast."
According to The Hill, Correa was not in the secure room; he was out trying to help the police quell the mob.
Espaillat believes he was previously exposed to the virus.
Many scientists worry that the Capitol riots could be a superspreader event, similar to the October outbreak of Covid at the White House stemming from a gathering that was held announcing the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett for Supreme Court Justice. That outbreak led to more than 50 cases of Covid. Not just in the Capitol, but also for the people returning home from the riots on planes. With the pro-Trump rioters parading the Capitol halls maskless, and some lawmakers refusing masks in the secure room, there was high risk.
"Unfortunately, I think we're going to see more cases of members of Congress and their staff testing positive in the days ahead," Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University's School of Public Health, told MSNBC. "It's one of the consequences of that horrible day last week."
The Capitol physician, Dr. Brian Monahan, is also worried that the event was a superspreader. He wrote a letter to House Lawmakers saying he was concerned about this event and the potential outbreak. Monahan mentioned that all members could potentially have been exposed to someone who tested positive, although he did not name this individual.
According to John Hopkins University's map of Covid, America is leading with the most cases at over 24,570,340 and over 408,780 deaths. There is now a rule fining $1,000 a day lawmakers for not wearing masks. Some congresspeople such as, but not limited to, Watson Coleman, Jayapal, Schneider, and Debbie Dingell (D) support this proposition.
“We’re done playing games. Either have some common sense and wear a damn mask or pay a fine,” Dingell said in a statement announcing Democrats’ legislation requiring members of Congress to wear masks. “It’s not that complicated.”
If you would like to know more on the Covid Capitol outbreak, here are some sources: Government Covid Tracker, CNN, USNews, Covid Map.
As of Sunday January 24th, 8 lawmakers have tested positive for Covid, including Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D), Rep. Brad Schneider (D), Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D), Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R), Rep. Louis Corea (D), Rep. Raul Ruiz (D), and Rep. Ron Wright (R).
Watson, Coleman, Jayapal, and Schneider blame Republican anti-maskers for the outbreak of Covid. According to CNN, many republican congresspeople refused masks being offered by Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, a Democrat from Delaware. Not only did they refuse masks, but they mocked those who offered them. The anti-mask Republicans are Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Oklahoma Rep. Markwayne Mullin, Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry, Texas Rep. Michael Cloud, and California Rep. Doug LaMalfaare. Not only did they refuse masks, but they mocked those who offered them.
Rochester told CNN she was "very concerned we were sitting in a super-spreader event but instead of sitting back and lamenting, I tried to go into action to try and persuade people to put them [masks] on."
Jayapal was furious with the anti-maskers.
“Too many Republicans have refused to take this pandemic and virus seriously, and in doing so, they endanger everyone around them,” said Jayapal. “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.”
Fleischmann was not present in the secure location. He had already found that he had Covid, but he wanted to get the votes cast, and had a special box set up for him to vote inside.
“I wanted to be able to vote as I told my constituents I would, to vote against certification of the election results,” Fleischmann said. "So I got those votes cast."
According to The Hill, Correa was not in the secure room; he was out trying to help the police quell the mob.
Espaillat believes he was previously exposed to the virus.
Many scientists worry that the Capitol riots could be a superspreader event, similar to the October outbreak of Covid at the White House stemming from a gathering that was held announcing the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett for Supreme Court Justice. That outbreak led to more than 50 cases of Covid. Not just in the Capitol, but also for the people returning home from the riots on planes. With the pro-Trump rioters parading the Capitol halls maskless, and some lawmakers refusing masks in the secure room, there was high risk.
"Unfortunately, I think we're going to see more cases of members of Congress and their staff testing positive in the days ahead," Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University's School of Public Health, told MSNBC. "It's one of the consequences of that horrible day last week."
The Capitol physician, Dr. Brian Monahan, is also worried that the event was a superspreader. He wrote a letter to House Lawmakers saying he was concerned about this event and the potential outbreak. Monahan mentioned that all members could potentially have been exposed to someone who tested positive, although he did not name this individual.
According to John Hopkins University's map of Covid, America is leading with the most cases at over 24,570,340 and over 408,780 deaths. There is now a rule fining $1,000 a day lawmakers for not wearing masks. Some congresspeople such as, but not limited to, Watson Coleman, Jayapal, Schneider, and Debbie Dingell (D) support this proposition.
“We’re done playing games. Either have some common sense and wear a damn mask or pay a fine,” Dingell said in a statement announcing Democrats’ legislation requiring members of Congress to wear masks. “It’s not that complicated.”
If you would like to know more on the Covid Capitol outbreak, here are some sources: Government Covid Tracker, CNN, USNews, Covid Map.
