As the coronavirus spreads through the government, members of Congress call for more widespread testing.
“I really do think that there’s a strong possibility that every time we convene in a session, it has the potential to be a super-spreader event,” Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York, said.
With Senator Mike Lee’s positive diagnosis, she noted that several members of the legislative branch have now been infected, heightening the need for more testing.
“I do believe that regular testing is a good idea so that we can contact-trace,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said. “I think it is incredibly important that we be tested — at very least, it doesn’t have to happen every day, it doesn’t have to happen every three days. But I do think every time we have 400 members getting on a plane from different parts of the country, we may want to test upon arrival, or have some sort of testing protocol.”
Representative Rodney Davis of Illinois, the highest ranking Republican on the House Administration committee, called it a “travesty that we don’t have a testing modality system in place.”
“We ought to be able to work with our partners in the private sector or even the Air Force, which has offered to help and get a testing regime in place that’s going to help the people who protect this House every day,” Mr. Davis said. “Let’s begin to protect them too. And that includes the Capitol Police, the Architect of the Capitol Employees, the folks who are here on the grounds like members of the media.”
on Twitter: "“Every time we convene in a session, it has the potential to be a super-spreader event,” @AOC said. "Every time we have 400 members getting on a plane from different parts of the country, we may want to test upon arrival..." https://t.co/X4LUS3cF6i" / Twitter
