When President Donald Trump’s supporters pushed their way inside the US Capitol, lawmakers were whisked away to shelter in an undisclosed location. However, they may have been exposed to Covid-19 as they sheltered.
“Many members of the House community were in protective isolation in the large room – some for several hours,” the Associated Press reported Capitol physician Dr. Brian Monahan as saying on Sunday. “Individuals may have been exposed to another occupant with coronavirus infection.”
The location of the “large room” was not specified, but it is here that lawmakers were rushed to when a crowd of pro-Trump protesters forced their way into the Capitol on Wednesday, as Congress was in the process of certifying Joe Biden’s electoral victory. As the mob cheered, jeered and vandalized the building, the lawmakers hunkered down until police regained control.
Capitol physician warns lawmakers of possible coronavirus exposure while sheltering during riothttps://t.co/qAE1ckBhrIpic.twitter.com/SLWm7Tml1S
Monahan did not elaborate on who may have been carrying the virus, or whether it was an elected official, security officer, or other member of staff.
Earlier, liberal commentators slated a group of Republicans in the room who refused to wear face masks.
So many GOP members of Congress laughed & mocked Rep. @LisaBRochester for her trying to hand out masks to GOP members while in lockdown during the MAGA terrorist attack on the Capitol. Such a crowded dense room—no masks. So dangerous for others. #COVID19pic.twitter.com/e4tYJp8hue
Just heard from Rep Susan Wild (D-PA) on NBC. She is in the Capitol locked down on a room with many other lawmakers. Many of the Republicans are refusing to wear masks. These people are literally sickening.
Before the threat of Covid was in play, Democrats and Republicans alike condemned the riot, in which five people died. One of them, an unarmed female protester, was shot by a police officer. Three people suffered “medical emergencies” and passed away, while a police officer, originally thought to have been struck with a fire extinguisher by protesters, died on Thursday. According to ABC News, authorities now believe his death was “driven by a medical condition.”
Some liberal pundits compared the breach of the Capitol to the 9/11 attacks and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, while Democrats drafted articles of impeachment against Trump, accusing the president of inciting an insurrection against Congress. A vote on impeachment could take place as early as Monday.
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