Sen. Rand Paul said Sunday he has the coronavirus, becoming the first senator to contract the illness.
“He is feeling fine and is in quarantine,” the Kentucky Republican‘s verified Twitter account said. “He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person.”
A subsequent tweet said Paul did not have recent contact with any D.C. staffers.
“He expects to be back in the Senate after his quarantine period ends and will continue to work for the people of Kentucky at this difficult time. Ten days ago, our D.C. office began operating remotely, hence virtually no staff has had contact with Senator Rand Paul,” he added.
He expects to be back in the Senate after his quarantine period ends and will continue to work for the people of Kentucky at this difficult time. Ten days ago, our D.C. office began operating remotely, hence virtually no staff has had contact with Senator Rand Paul.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 22, 2020
Paul, 57, is the third member of Congress to become infected with coronavirus after Rep. Mario Diaz Balart, a Florida Republican, and Ben McAdams, a Utah Democrat, said they also have the virus and are in quarantine.
In addition to speaking on the Senate floor Wednesday and attending a Tuesday Republican Senate luncheon with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, he was spotted sitting next to other senators at a GOP lunch on Friday.
I took a picture inside the Senate GOP lunch when the door was open Friday and saw Rand Paul seated next to other senators. He is visible in this photo. pic.twitter.com/4qwZo5YdBs
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 22, 2020
One of the lawmaker’s colleagues also reportedly noted seeing him at the gym Sunday morning, but his office denied he got a workout in after learning of his test results, insisting he “left the Senate IMMEDIATELY upon learning of his diagnosis.”
We want to be clear, Senator Paul left the Senate IMMEDIATELY upon learning of his diagnosis. He had zero contact with anyone & went into quarantine. Insinuations such as those below that he went to the gym after learning of his results are just completely false & irresponsible! https://t.co/yqfxydsXBG
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 22, 2020
Paul wrote an opinion piece for the Washington Examiner, published Sunday, which made the case for why senators such as himself should not receive checks from the coronavirus relief package being negotiated in Congress.
“So, as the hysteria consumes Congress, count my family and me out. We don’t want your government checks. We simply want to help those displaced by the quarantine and support our country’s efforts to re-establish normalcy as the virus abates,” he wrote.
In 2017, Paul suffered a damaged lung after he was attacked by a neighbor and suffered broken ribs. Paul battled pneumonia after the injury, which required him to have part of his lung removed.
