Fauci Predicts COVID-19 Surge Among Lawmakers Packed Together 'Like A Subway Car' During Capitol Riot

By Staff Reporter
Posted on 01/12/21 | News Source: The Hill

The nation’s top infectious diseases expert says the scene of Congress members -- some without masks -- taking shelter in crowded rooms while the U.S. Capitol was being overrun with rioters looked like a “subway car during rush hour,” The Daily Beast reports Tuesday. 

At least three Democratic lawmakers have tested positive for COVID-19 after they were hunkered down in committee rooms with many of their colleagues for multiple hours during the Jan. 6 insurrection on the Capitol. The attending physician to Congress cautioned the incident could become a superspreader event and advised House members and staff to get tested immediately.

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Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) and Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) announced they tested positive over a 24 hour period. All three pointed the finger at several of their Republican colleagues who refused to wear masks during the lockdown for their positive results. 

Footage first published by Punchbowl News last week showed maskless GOP members who refused to take masks that were offered while in the room. 

Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said the incident will likely lead to more cases among lawmakers. Read more at The Hill