Two more lawmakers who had to shelter in place with a group of colleagues who refused to wear masks has tested positive for COVID-19.
Washington Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal first announced her positive diagnosis on Monday. She put the blame of her positive test on her colleagues across the aisle for not wearing masks while they were in a secure location during the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, and she declared the event “a superspreader.”
“Too many Republicans have refused to take this pandemic and virus seriously, and in doing so, they endanger everyone around them,” the congresswoman said. “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.”
“While I am isolating per the Capitol Physician’s instructions, I will continue to work to the best of my ability because the deep urgency of our many crises is paramount. I share the outrage and anger of my constituents and those across this country who have watched Donald Trump fail to combat this raging pandemic and refuse to take care of Americans who are suffering, dying, and devastated,” she added. “Now, we have also watched him openly fuel and incite these insurrectionists who attacked the Capitol and our democracy on January 6 — so I will not rest until I do everything in my power to remove this President from office.”
Earlier on Monday, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman announced that she tested positive for the virus.
Coleman, 75, a congresswoman from New Jersey, said that she decided to get tested after “sheltering with several colleagues who refused to wear masks” during the breach of the Capitol.
A video recording, first reported by Punchbowl News, later revealed that Republican lawmakers, including Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, did not wear masks for a period of time while in the room and declined to put one on when offered.
Jayapal also urged Congress to fine members of Congress who refuse to wear a mask in the Capitol and that they should be removed from the floor by the sergeant at arms.
“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. “Additionally, any Member who refuses to wear a mask should be immediately removed from the floor by the Sergeant at Arms. This is not a joke. Our lives and our livelihoods are at risk, and anyone who refuses to wear a mask should be fully held accountable for endangering our lives because of their selfish idiocy.”
Illinois Rep. Brad Schneider, a Democrat, became the third lawmaker to test positive for COVID-19 after sheltering with Republican lawmakers who reportedly weren’t wearing masks.
He said he was “angry at the selfishness and arrogance of the anti-maskers who put their own contempt and disregard for decency ahead of the safety of their colleagues and our state,” and he reiterated Jayapal’s statement that those who flout COVID-19 prevention protocols should be “immediately removed from the House floor.”
