California representative to self-quarantine after interacting with coronavirus patient

Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Calif.) announced Monday that she will self-quarantine after she interacted with a person in Washington, D.C., who tested positive for the coronavirus last week.

The California representative said she is closing her Washington office this week after the interaction with the individual who is currently self-quarantining. She is the first Democratic lawmaker in Congress to self-quarantine.

In a statement, she said the Office of Attending Physician, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Ventura County Public Health and a personal physician told her the “risk of exposure to me and my staff is considered very low.”

“However, given the significant number of constituents and other individuals that my staff and I normally have contact with each day when Congress is in session, I have decided to close our DC office for the week,” she said.

Brownley said she and her staff will continue to work remotely, and the district offices in Thousand Oaks and Oxnard will stay open. No one on her staff, including Brownley, is experiencing any symptoms. 

“Out of an abundance of absolute caution, my DC staff and I are self-monitoring and maintaining social distancing practices,” she said in the statement.

Several of Brownley’s Republican colleagues including Rep. Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Rep. Doug Collins (Ga.) and Rep. Paul Gosar (Ariz.) have announced self-quarantines after coming in contact with an individual who later tested positive for coronavirus after attending the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) also interacted with the individual who attended CPAC and announced his self-quarantine Sunday.

Lawmakers are self-quarantining as the coronavirus spreads across the country. It has infected at least 600 people and caused 22 deaths.