Democratic California Rep. Julia Brownley announced Monday that she met with a person last week in Washington D.C. who has since tested positive for coronavirus, making her the fifth member of Congress to self-quarantine.
“Yesterday, I was informed that an individual I met with last week in DC tested positive for COVID-19. I am told that individual is self-quarantining and has informed local public health officials,” Brownley said in a statement. “I consulted with the Office of Attending Physician, the CDC, Ventura County Public Health, and a personal physician experienced in infectious diseases, all of whom said that the risk of exposure to me and my staff is considered very low.”
Brownley made it clear that neither her nor any of her staff are experiencing any symptoms at this time.
“However, given the significant number of constituents and other individuals that my staff and I normally have contact with each day when Congress is in session, I have decided to close our DC office for the week. My staff and I are working remotely to continue to serve the residents of Ventura County, and my district offices in Thousand Oaks and Oxnard remain open,” Brownley continued.
Former US President Bill Clinton lifts the arm of California Congresswoman Julia Brownley (Photo credit: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
The news comes as a number of Republican congressmen are self-quarantining after meeting the individual who attended the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) while infected with coronavirus. (RELATED: Here Are The Members Of Congress Self-Quarantining After Meeting Person With Coronavirus At CPAC)
Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was the first to announce the self-quarantine Sunday, saying that he will be staying home in Texas for the week after he was informed that he met the individual who attended CPAC who is infected with coronavirus. (RELATED: Ted Cruz To Stay Home In Texas For One Week After Saying He Met Person With Coronavirus At CPAC)
Cruz made it clear in a statement that he has not had any symptoms since the interaction at the conference and that it was a quick conversation and a handshake, but he said in order to be safe he will be staying home instead of returning back to Washington D.C. Cruz also said he has spoken with health officials across the board.
The Senate passed an $8.3 billion funding bill Thursday to help fight coronavirus as the disease continues to spread in the U.S. President Donald Trump signed the bill Friday.
