Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal on Tuesday(12) said that she has tested positive for coronavirus.
She accused Republicans of refusing to wear masks and mocking those who did during a riot at the legislature last week.
In a tweet, Democratic Congresswoman Jayapal said she had taken a test after being trapped in a secure room with fellow lawmakers, and that she had tested positive.
"Many Republicans still refused to take the bare minimum Covid-19 precaution and simply wear a damn mask in a crowded room during a pandemic — creating a superspreader event on top of a domestic terrorist attack," Jayapal, who is now self-isolating, said.
"The duration in the room was multiple hours and several Republicans not only cruelly refused to wear a mask but mocked colleagues and staff who offered them one."
"Too many Republicans have refused to take this pandemic and virus seriously, and in doing so, they endanger everyone around them," said Jayapal.
"While I am isolating as per the Capitol Physician's instructions, I will continue to work to the best of my ability because the deep urgency of our many crises is paramount."
In December, Jayapal was elected as the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), making her one of the most powerful US lawmakers in the 117th Congress.
Hours earlier, fellow Democratic congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman said she too had contracted the virus and that she believed she had been exposed to it during last week’s violence.
"She believes she was exposed during protective isolation in the US Capitol building as a result of insurrectionist riots," her office said in a statement.
Top Congressional doctor Brian Monahan warned lawmakers over the weekend that they could have been exposed to the virus after taking shelter in an isolation room last Wednesday(6).
Just hours after pro-Trump protestors stormed the US Capitol to demand Congress overturn the November 3 election victory of president-elect Joe Biden, Congressman Jake LaTurner tested positive for the virus.
The US is the world's hardest-hit country and some 375,000 people have died from the coronavirus -- with about 3,000 more dying every day.
In her statement following her positive diagnosis, Congresswoman Jayapal said colleagues that refused to wear masks were guilty of "selfish idiocy" and should not be allowed to take their seats in the chamber.
Anti-Racism protesters come out in support of refugees outside the Cladhan Hotel on September 13, 2025 in Falkirk, Scotland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)