U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, a New Jersey Democrat and lung cancer survivor, has tested positive for COVID-19.
Watson Coleman, 75, of Ewing, believes she was exposed after sheltering with several maskless colleagues during last week’s storming of the U.S. Capitol, according to a statement from her office.
She said she received a positive rapid test Monday and is awaiting the results of PCR testing. She previously received the first dose of the Pfitzer/BioNTech vaccine when it was made available to all Congress members.
Watson Coleman, the first Black woman to represent New Jersey in Congress, is serving her third term in the U.S. House.
Video taken during Wednesday’s attack shows Republican members of Congress spurning offers of masks, which rules require. They included Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Andy Biggs of Arizona and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania.
The Capitol’s attending physician, Brian Monahan, said in a statement Sunday that members who had gathered in an unspecified isolation room should get tested.
“During this time, individuals may have been exposed to another occupant with coronavirus infection,” Monahan wrote.
