It is unclear how many of the 38 officers may have been on duty at the time of the attack or when they contracted the virus. But health officials are worried that the masses of largely unmasked people, many screaming and pushing, will lead to the spread of the virus. Several police officers were assaulted directly during the uprising.
By Friday, 19 Capitol police officers had tested positive in the more than two weeks since the attack, Gus Papathanasiou, chairman of the U.S. Capitol Police Labor Committee, said in an email to CNN. The union also could not confirm that officers were on duty on the day of the attack.
“Following the events of Wednesday, including shelter with several colleagues who refused to wear masks, I decided to take a Covid test. I tested positive,” New Jersey Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman said. tweeted on January 11th.
A statement from her office said the congresswoman “believes she was exposed during protective isolation in the U.S. Capitol building due to rioting. As reported by several news outlets, a number of members in the space have been instructed to wearing masks, ignored. “
Capitol lawmakers and staff received a note from the Capitol attending physician warning of a possible risk of exposure to Covid-19 after a large group of lawmakers were forced to gather in a safe place during the invasion of the American Capitol.
“On Wednesday, January 6, many members of the House of Commons were in protective isolation in (a) room in a large committee hearing room. The time in this room was for some several hours and for others shorter. During this time, individuals may be exposed to a other occupants with a coronavirus infection, ‘Dr. Brian P. Monahan wrote in the January 10 memo.