BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley confirmed Wednesday her husband has tested positive for COVID-19 after he spent time in Washington D.C.
Rep. Pressley said her husband Conan Harris received a positive COVID-19 test on Tuesday evening, after he accompanied Pressley to the Capitol for her swearing-in ceremony last week and he was with her in the Capitol complex throughout the January 6th attacks on Congress.
Pressley's office said Harris has shown mild symptoms and remains in isolation, along with Pressley and staff in close contact, per guidance from the attending physician.
"As my colleagues and I sought shelter from the white supremacist mob that violently attacked our seat of government, we were greeted by a different threat—one posed by my callous Republican colleagues who, in this crowded and confined space, repeatedly refused to wear masks when offered," Rep. Pressley said.
"Their arrogant disregard for the lives of others is infuriating, but not surprising, and we are seeing the consequences of it daily, as several of my colleagues—and now my husband—test positive for COVID-19," Pressley continues. "Like many families in Massachusetts and all across the country who have been impacted by this pandemic, I am deeply outraged by the criminal negligence of the current administration in responding to this crisis, along with their accomplices in Congress who continue to downplay the severity of a virus that has claimed the lives of over 380,000 Americans."
According to the New York Times, at least 60 sitting members of Congress are believed to have had COVID-19 at some point since the pandemic began.
So far, four individuals who were at the Capitol during last week's riot have received a positive coronavirus test; Harris, Rep. Pramila Jayapal D-Wash., Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., and Rep. Bonnie Coleman, D-N.J.
The Attending Physician of the United States Congress advised Members and staff on Sunday that those who were taken into the secured room could have "been exposed to another occupant with coronavirus infection." Pressley, Harris, and Pressley’s Chief of Staff said they were in various locations in the Capitol complex on January 6th, including the secure room.
"While Conan and I will remain in isolation in the coming days, I will continue to carry out my duties as the Representative for the people of the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District and look forward to holding this lawless president accountable for endangering our lives and our democracy," Pressley said.
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Written by Brit Smith
(Photo: Getty Images)