Rand Paul becomes first US senator to contract COVID-19
The first US senator has reportedly contracted the coronavirus without any knowledge of contact with an infected person.
The spokesman for Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul made the announcement on Sunday.
“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,” Sergio Gor said, adding that Paul “was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person.”
Two House representatives, Mario Diaz-Balart and Ben McAdams, have previously tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
According to Gor, Paul would “be back in the Senate after his quarantine period ends.”
“Ten days ago, our DC office began operating remotely, hence virtually no staff has had contact with Senator Paul,” said the senator’s spokesman.
The Republican senator was part of the coronavirus package decisions before his diagnosis.
“If you’re still employed and doing well, why would we want to send you $1,000?” he said Wednesday. “It just seems to me fiscally irresponsible just to send everybody money.”
Those who have interacted recently with him will seek medical advice on what to do next, according to Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney.
"All the senators are going to seek medical advice as to what action we should take, to make sure in any way that we don't spread this virus ourselves," Romney said. "We have to determine whether any of us should self-quarantine."
According to Paul’s office, "he is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events."
More than 31,000 confirmed cases have been reported in the US while nearly 400 people across the country have died.
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