Republican Gohmert, who resisted masks, says tests positive for COVID-19

Republican Congressman Louie Gohmert, who steadfastly refused to wear a mask during the coronavirus pandemic, said on Wednesday that he has tested positive for COVID-19, raising concerns that other members of Congress may also have been exposed. Attorney General William Barr, who testified to a committee hearing on Tuesday that Gohmert took part in, will be tested for coronavirus as a result, a Justice Department spokesman said.


Reuters | Updated: 29-07-2020 23:30 IST | Created: 29-07-2020 23:30 IST
Republican Gohmert, who resisted masks, says tests positive for COVID-19

Republican Congressman Louie Gohmert, who steadfastly refused to wear a mask during the coronavirus pandemic, said on Wednesday that he has tested positive for COVID-19, raising concerns that other members of Congress may also have been exposed.

Attorney General William Barr, who testified to a committee hearing on Tuesday that Gohmert took part in, will be tested for coronavirus as a result, a Justice Department spokesman said. A U.S. representative from Texas, where coronavirus cases have surged since the state reopened, Gohmert said he tested positive in a prescreening at the White House and would self-quarantine for 10 days.

"Now I need to self-quarantine," Gohmert said in an interview with Texas broadcaster KETK-TV. "It's really ironic, because a lot of people have made a big deal out of my not wearing a mask a lot. But in the last week or two, I have worn a mask more than I have in the whole last four months." Masks, which health experts say help to prevent the transmission of the highly contagious virus, have become a symbol of America's bitter political divide, with some Republicans including Gohmert shunning them after President Donald Trump long refused to wear one in public.

During Tuesday's hearing, Committee Chairman Representative Jerry Nadler, a Democrat, scolded several Republicans including ranking member Jim Jordan for failing to wear masks. Gohmert said he wore a mask during the proceedings. In a Twitter posting on Wednesday, Nadler wished Gohmert a "full and speedy recovery."

Democratic House of Representatives Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said he would consider having all House members tested as a result of Gohmert's testing positive. Nearly 150,000 people in the United States have died of coronavirus, and almost 4.4 million have tested positive, according to a Reuters tally. Infection rates have begun to soar in recent weeks as states lifted early restrictions on social gatherings and travel intended to slow the virus' spread.

Several members of Congress have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and all have recovered. Republican Rand Paul in March became the first senator to contract the disease, and faced criticism from his colleagues after spending time walking maskless around the Capitol, even using its gym, while waiting for test results. After recovering, Paul, a physician, also shunned a mask, arguing that he is now immune. Other medical professionals have said it is unclear whether a person can contract COVID-19 a second time.

Gohmert said he would now wear a mask, but when asked about mask policies, told the broadcaster: "If somebody feels strongly that everybody should wear a mask then they shouldn't be around people that don't wear masks."

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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