Ayanna Pressley says husband has COVID-19 after sheltering in Capitol with maskless Republicans
The Massachusetts rep says that her spouse, Conan Harris, contracted the coronavirus after the Capitol breach
It has now been confirmed that Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s husband Conan Harris is among those who have tested positive for coronavirus after being made to shelter-in-place at the Capitol building with Republicans who refused to wear masks.
Last Wednesday, Harris was with Pressley to attend her swearing-in ceremony when the group of Trump supporters broke into the federal building. That afternoon he was forced like many others to shelter in a secure room in the Capitol building while attendees from Trump’s rally ransacked the premises.
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This Tuesday it was confirmed that Harris contracted COVID-19 and although Pressley has tested negative she has still opted to quarantine as a safety precaution.
“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,” Pressley said in a statement released Wednesday on social media.”
“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.”
Harris is one of six people who tested positive for COVID-19 following the shelter-in-place. On Sunday, Brian Monahan, the attending physician to Congress, sent out an email warning that more members of Congress will likely test positive due to the incident.
“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,” Pressley continued.
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“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.”
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