FILE PHOTO: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Democratic members of the Texas state legislature who fled the state in an effort to slow changes to election laws and voter access, in Washington, U.S., July 13, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
July 17, 2021
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Three Democratic Texas state lawmakers, who fled to Washington D.C. to halt a Republican-sponsored election law, tested positive for COVID-19, the Texas State House Democratic Caucus said in a statement on Saturday.
The three Texas House Democratic lawmakers had been vaccinated against the coronavirus, but tested positive over the last 24 hours, the statement said.
Texas state Representative Ron Reynolds, one of the Democrats who traveled to Washington, told MSNBC on Saturday that the positive test results were cause for caution. “We are taking these positive confirmations very seriously,” Reynolds said. “We’re following all CDC guidelines and … we are going to make sure that we don’t expose anyone.”
COVID-19 cases in the United States have surged over the past week with new cases up 70% and deaths rising 26%.
The Texas delegation has met over the past week with Vice President Kamala Harris and congressional Democratic leaders including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, CBS News reported on Saturday.
(Reporting by Joel Schectman; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
