Two members of Congress, Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Paul Gosar, say they are isolating themselves after determining they had contact at a political conference in suburban Washington with a person who’s tested positive for COVID-19.
Cruz, R-Texas, said Sunday he had brief contact with the person at the Conservative Political Action Conference nearly two weeks ago and would spend the next few days at his home in Texas until a full 14 days had passed since their interaction.
Gosar, R-Ariz., said he had made contact with the person at CPAC and that he and three members of his senior staff were under self-quarantine. His office will be closed for the week, Gosar said in a tweet Sunday.
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Besides Cruz and Gosar, the CPAC schedule listed three other senators and 12 House members who were scheduled to speak. They included No. 2 House GOP leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana, No. 3 Republican leader Liz Cheney of Wyoming and congressman Mark Meadows of North Carolina, who has since become the White House chief of staff.
Cruz announced Sunday that he “briefly interacted” with “an individual” 10 days ago who has tested positive for COVID-19, CBS Dallas/Fort Worth reported. In the statement, the Republican senator said he was informed Saturday night that he had a brief conversation and shared a handshake with the individual at (CPAC).
Cruz said he has since consulted with medical authorities from the Houston Health Department, the Harris County Public Health Department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health and Human Services as well as his personal physician.
He also said he has spoken with Vice President Pence, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Meadows.
“I’m not experiencing any symptoms, and I feel fine and healthy,” Cruz said. “Given that the interaction was 10 days ago, that the average incubation period is 5-6 days, that the interaction was for less than a minute, and that I have no current symptoms, the medical authorities have advised me that the odds of transmission from the other individual to me were extremely low.”
The senator said his physicians further advised that testing isn’t effective before symptoms manifest and that his brief interaction with the individual doesn’t meet the CDC’s criteria for self-quarantine.
“The medical authorities explicitly advised me that, given the above criteria, the people who have interacted with me in the 10 days since CPAC should not be concerned about potential transmission,” Cruz said. “Nevertheless, out of an abundance of caution, and because of how frequently I interact with my constituents as a part of my job and to give everyone peace of mind, I have decided to remain at my home in Texas this week, until a full 14 days have passed since the CPAC interaction.”
To learn more about protecting yourself from COVID-19, visit the CDC website here.
