According to the BBC on the 13th, three Democratic congressmen who evaded in a closed room for hours tested positive for the novel coronavirus after riots in the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
Three Democratic lawmakers were infected one after another.
House Democrats Bonnie Watson Coleman, Pramila Jayapal and Brad Schneider have announced that they have tested positive for the coronavirus in the wake of the congressional riots.
The three councillors took shelter together in a closed room for hours when the riots broke out last Wednesday, and other senators were with them.
Medical experts fear that as the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths in the United States continues to rise, more lawmakers may have contracted the disease, which may become a super-spreading event.
Although the United States has launched a limited number of vaccines, the coronavirus situation still shows no sign of weakening.
At present, the number of COVID-19 infections in the United States has reached 22.6 million, and the death toll has reached 367,000.
Over the weekend, senior congressional physician Brian Monahan told lawmakers and congressional staff who were sheltering together during the riots to get them tested for the novel coronavirus.
“In this time, individual people may have come into contact with another person who has contracted COVID-19,” Monahan said.
Monahan did not disclose how many councillors there were in the room, but called on them to abide by quarantine measures and wear masks.
Is it all caused by not wearing a mask?
Bonnie Watson Coleman, a Democrat for New Jersey, tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday. The 75-year-old cancer survivor said in a tweet that she had “mild, cold-like symptoms” while resting at home.
Democrat Jayapal from Washington State and Congressman Schneider of Illinois revealed that they tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday.
All three Democrats accused Republican lawmakers of refusing to wear masks while avoiding safe rooms.
“Anyone who refuses to wear a mask is solely responsible for endangering our lives,” Jayapal said.
She called for punishment for those who do not wear masks.
Live footage shows some Republicans not wearing masks while sheltering in their rooms.
Several MPs even refused to provide them with masks. Photos taken by CBS in the United States indoors show that Jayapal himself did not wear a mask at one time.
Wearing a mask has been an explosive political issue throughout the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, with some lawmakers publicly refusing to wear masks.
On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Robert Redfield warned that the Capitol riots could have a significant health impact.
