Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), who spoke on the House floor on Wednesday when he voted to impeach President Trump, announced on Twitter Thursday that he had tested positive for COVID-19, according to Reuters.
“I received the second dose of the #COVID19vaccine last week and understand the effects take time. I have continued to be tested regularly, wear my mask, and follow the recommended guidelines,” the 66-year-old lawmaker tweeted.
“I will continue my duties representing New York’s 13th congressional district remotely until I have received clearance from my doctor. I encourage all residents to follow public health guidelines for the safety of our #NY13 community.”
Espaillat is the latest lawmaker to test positive for the coronavirus in what has grown into a partisan issue between Democrats and Republicans over the wearing of face masks amid the coronavirus pandemic.
While a meeting of a joint session of Congress was taking place last week to certify the Electoral College ballots, a mob stormed the Capitol and forced lawmakers to flee to secure locations. Espaillat is one of four Democratic lawmakers who were in a secure room during the riots with Republicans who refused to wear masks, reports The Hill.
Since January 6, Reps. Jake LaTurner (R-Kan.), Michelle Steel (R-Calif.), Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), and Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) have all announced positive test results. Espaillat, along with Coleman, Jayapal, and Schneider all said they were in a secure room with the maskless lawmakers.
“Several Republican lawmakers in the room adamantly refused to wear a mask … even when politely asked by their colleagues. Today, I am now in strict isolation, worried that I have risked my wife’s health and angry at the selfishness and arrogance of the anti-maskers who put their own contempt and disregard for decency ahead of the health and safety of their colleagues and our staff,” Schneider said in a statement announcing his diagnosis this week.
