Rep. Cunningham the fourth member of Congress to test positive for coronavirus
WASHINGTON _ Rep. Joe Cunningham announced Friday that he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
"While I otherwise feel fine, since March 17th I have been unable to smell or taste, which I learned this week is a potential symptom of COVID-19," the South Carolina Democrat said in a statement.
Cunningham was tested Thursday and got his results Friday, he said, adding him to a growing list of lawmakers who have been personally infected or affected by the virus.
GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams of Utah and Florida Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart have also said they have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Other members are distancing themselves because they have symptoms or had contact with someone who tested positive. At least 26 members of the House and Senate are still under self-quarantine, and 18 more have completed a period of self-isolation, based on announcements and responses from their offices.
Senate Majority Whip John Thune boarded a South Dakota-bound chartered flight Wednesday evening wearing a surgical mask after waking up that morning feeling ill, his spokesman Ryan Wrasse said.
On Thursday, Wrasse said Thune was at home, "where he continues to monitor his symptoms. His condition has improved, and he has been in touch with his personal physician again today."
Florida Democratic Rep. Ted Deutch revealed Thursday that he had been self-quarantining since the previous weekend after his son returned from Spain with a symptom of the COVID-19 illness, the Miami Herald reported.
_CQ-Roll Call
