U.S. Congressman Paul Gosar in Phoenix, Arizona, Oct. 3, 2019.
A U.S. congressman from Arizona announced Sunday that he is quarantining himself at home after he came in contact with a person infected with the new coronavirus at a national conservative politics conference in the Washington, D.C., area.
Rep. Paul Gosar, a Republican, said that during the annual Conservative Political Action Committee conference in Maryland last month “members of my staff and I came into contact with an individual who has since tested positive for, and is hospitalized for, COVID-19. I was with the individual for an extended period of time, and we shook hands several times." Gosar said neither he nor his staff feel ill.
The Capitol's attending physician's office says “several” members of Congress had contact with the person who attended the Maryland political conference and who subsequently developed the illness caused by the new coronavirus.
The office told lawmakers Monday the ill individual had recalled “specific names of people he had contact with during the meeting.” It says several of these individuals "were identified and were contacted” Saturday. Their symptoms were reviewed, and the individuals are considered to be at “low risk” of contracting the disease and remain in good health.
On Sunday, Gosar and Sen. Ted Cruz said they're isolating themselves after determining they had contact with the person at the conference.
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