NY congresscoon diagnosed with coronavirus days after sharing podium with colleagues

[crook nancy pelosi]

WASHINGTON — New York Rep. Nydia Velázquez has been diagnosed with
coronavirus, just days after she shared a speaking lectern and microphone
with dozens of House colleagues.

The Brooklyn Democrat placed an open palm on a shared microphone’s foam
Friday morning during debate on the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill,
moving the device closer to her face, before draping her hands on a
lectern that held her notes.

And a seat occupied by Velázquez toward the rear of the House chamber was
subsequently filled by a different congresswoman. All Democrats who spoke
after her shared the same podium and mic.

“In the wee hours of Sunday morning, I began to feel under the weather,”
Velázquez, 67, said in a statement Monday. “I developed the abrupt onset
of muscle aches, fevers, nasal congestion and stomach upset. I noticed
that I could no longer smell my perfume or taste my food.”

She continued: “After speaking with The Attending Physician by phone, I
was diagnosed with presumed coronavirus infection. My symptoms are mild at
the present time and I am taking Tylenol for fever, and isolating myself
at my home. At the advice of The Attending Physician, neither COVID 19
laboratory testing nor a doctor’s office visit was recommended. I am
carefully monitoring my symptoms, working remotely and in constant contact
with my staff.”

Velázquez added, “I encourage everyone to stay at home and continue
practicing social distancing.”

The congresswoman and many other New York members of Congress attended the
House debate on Friday, flouting CDC guidance that they should self-
isolate for 14 days after leaving the New York City area, which is the
national epicenter of COVID-19.

The chamber was filled with an uncomfortable amount of coughing. Lawmakers
poured into the House after Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) indicated he would
force them to appear in person to vote.

“We’ve all got to wait 14 days to see what happens,” Rep. Steve Cohen
(D-Tenn.) said after the vote. “Hopefully, none of us get ill. If it
weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have had to come [back],” he said of
Massie. “He put people in jeopardy, there’s no question about it.”

Velázquez attended a celebration with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-
Calif.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) after the bill
passed.

Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said: “Following the announcement by
Chairwoman Velazquez, the Speaker today consulted with the Attending
Physician who found her contact to be of low risk and recommended the
Speaker take no particular action.” A spokesman for McCarthy did not
immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges that “residents who
were recently in the affected areas of New York, out of an abundance of
caution, should self-quarantine for 14 days.”

A spokesperson for Velázquez on Friday had defended her appearance in
Washington.

“As Chair of the Small Business Committee, the Congresswoman will be
present for debate on the small business portions of the bill,” the
spokesperson told The Post. “She will be social distancing as much as
possible during her time in Washington, minimizing contact with staff and
other Members and taking precautions recommended by the Capitol’s Office
of Attending Physician.”

At least four other House lawmakers — Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.),
Ben McAdams (D-Utah), Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) and Joe Cunningham (D-SC) — had
previously been diagnosed with suspected cases of COVID-19, as has one
senator, Rand Paul (R-Ky.).

New York has more than 66,000 cases of COVID-19 and more than 1,200
deaths. There are more than 153,000 cases in the US.

https://nypost.com/2020/03/30/ny-congresswoman-diagnosed-with-coronavirus-
days-after-sharing-podium-with-colleagues/