Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) tested positive for COVID-19 less than a week ago, but traveled to Washington DC and voted on the House floor in the House speaker election.
Moore claimed Sunday afternoon that she was medically cleared to travel and get back to work. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends at least a 10-day quarantine if a person has been exposed to the virus, but hasn’t been tested or isn’t experiencing any symptoms. A seven-day quarantine is recommended even if you test negative and have no symptoms.
Thank you all for the well wishes. I am feeling good! My quarantine is over and I am medically cleared to travel and work on behalf of Wisconsin’s Fourth Congressional District.
— Rep. Gwen Moore (@RepGwenMoore) January 3, 2021
Three other members who tested negative but were inside their quarantine windows were also still allowed to vote. Special arrangements were made for them to enable them to vote.
Important to note a few things:
-These three members have all had NEGATIVE covid test but are still in quarantine window after being exposed
-Rep. Gwen Moore is NOT one of the three, I’m told; She is officially out of her quarantine window https://t.co/L3W0h70yrc
— Heather Caygle (@heatherscope) January 3, 2021
In-person voting was required for the House Speaker vote because members would not be allowed to vote by proxy until after the election for House speaker, and new rules adopted by the the 117th Congress. Given the slim majority held by Democrats in the House, there was concern that enough Democrats might be quarantined that more Republicans would be present for the vote for speaker.
I guess when you’re a member of Congress, and Nancy’s speakership is on the line, you can travel and violate quarantine rules that the rest of us have to adhere to.
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Matt Margolis is the author of Airborne: How The Liberal Media Weaponized The Coronavirus Against Donald Trump, and the bestselling book The Worst President in History: The Legacy of Barack Obama. You can follow Matt on Twitter @MattMargolis