Second Dem Rep Announces Positive Covid Test After Being Forced to Take Cover With Republicans Who Refused Masks
Another Democratic lawmaker is blaming maskless Republicans for the fact that she was diagnosed with the coronavirus after sheltering with them during last week’s invasion of the U.S. Capitol.
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) released a statement late Monday announcing that she tested positive for Covid-19. She swiftly puts the blame on “Republican lawmakers recklessly refused to wear masks,” explaining that she was locked in a secure room with them while President Donald Trump’s supporters were rampaging through the Capitol.
“Too many Republicans have refused to take this pandemic and virus seriously, and in doing so, they endanger everyone around them,” Jayapal 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.”
I just received a positive COVID-19 test result after being locked down in a secured room at the Capitol where several Republicans not only cruelly refused to wear a mask but recklessly mocked colleagues and staff who offered them one.https://t.co/wVmgroKsdf
— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) January 12, 2021
The statement goes on with Jayapal saying she is quarantining in compliance with recommendations from the Capitol Physician. After voicing her approval for the efforts to remove Trump from office, Jayapal also says lawmakers who refuse to wear masks in the building should face “serious fines” and “be immediately removed from the floor by the Sergeant at Arms.”
Jayapal’s announcement comes hours after Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) announced that she also tested positive for Covid, and she believes she was exposed while sheltering with anti-mask Republicans. There have been numerous instances of GOPers refusing to wear masks while they were in lockdown with their colleagues.
