An American elected official announced Monday, January 11, that she had tested positive for Covid-19 after taking refuge during the violent intrusion of supporters of Donald Trump on Capitol Hill, with other parliamentarians having refused to wear a mask.
Read also: Donald Trump again target of impeachment
"
I have tested positive for Covid-19 and I am resting at home for now,
" said New Jersey elected member of the House of Representatives, Bonnie Watson Coleman, in a statement.
"
Although I have mild symptoms consistent with those of a common cold, morale is good and will continue to work for my constituents,
" added the 75-year-old Democrat.
Bonnie Watson Coleman "
believes she was exposed (to the virus) during her confinement in the Capitol after the insurgent riot
," said her team.
“
As reported by several media outlets, a number of people present ignored instructions to wear masks.
Images posted online show several Republican parliamentarians refusing to wear masks while confined in a committee room during the intrusion.
President-elect Joe Biden, questioned on Monday about the matter while receiving his second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in Wilmington, Delaware, deemed their behavior "
irresponsible
".
Bonnie Watson Coleman had, according to her team, already received a first dose of the vaccine from Pfizer / BioNTech.
Another elected Democrat, Don Beyer, demanded that “
immediately
” end the “
appalling refusal
” of elected Republican officials to wear a mask, which “
put all those around them in danger
”.
Members of the US Congress had to be confined for several hours Wednesday on Capitol Hill, after the violent intrusion of supporters of Donald Trump in the middle of a session of certification of the victory of Joe Biden in the presidential election.
The United States is the country most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in absolute terms, with more than 375,000 dead.