Senator Rand Paul has tested positive for coronavirus and is in quarantine, the Kentucky Republican is the first member of the upper chamber of Congress to contract the virus.
The politician revealed the news on his official Twitter account, announcing that he is “feeling fine” and has not displayed any symptoms of the Covid-19 illness. The Twitter statement said that he was tested “out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events”.
Senator Rand Paul has tested positive for COVID-19. He is feeling fine and is in quarantine. 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.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 22, 2020
It added that Paul was not aware that he had any direct contact with anyone carrying the virus and he expects to be back in the Senate after his quarantine period ends.
Paul’s office had been operating remotely for approximately ten days and his staff have had almost no in-person contact with the politician in that time.
The news comes shortly after Washington, DC announced its second death due to Covid-19.
Other US senators have self-quarantined as a precautionary measure in recent weeks, and at least two members of the House of Representatives have also tested positive for the disease.
At the time of writing, the Reuters news agency reports that there are approximately 31,000 cases of Covid-19 across the US and at least 385 people have died. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting 15,219 total cases and 201 deaths, however the government body does not release figures at the weekend.
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