Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) announced Tuesday he tested positive for the coronavirus, marking the latest infection in a burgeoning outbreak on Capitol Hill.
Ruiz said he took multiple COVID-19 tests in preparation for his attendance at President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration Wednesday and that while he received an initial negative result over the weekend, he tested positive Tuesday morning.
“While I do have mild symptoms, overall I am feeling well and will self-isolate for the recommended time. Thank you everyone for the well wishes,” Ruiz tweeted.
Ruiz is the latest in a string of lawmakers to test positive for the coronavirus since the Jan. 6 riots at Capitol Hill. Nine lawmakers, including Ruiz, have since said they contracted the virus, and a number of Democrats who tested positive said they were hunkering in a secure room with Republican lawmakers who refused to wear masks.
Ruiz’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding his whereabouts as the mob swarmed the Capitol.
The House Office of the Attending Physician circulated a letter to members urging them to closely monitor their health after it was discovered that at least one person who was in lockdown with them had been infected. There are also concerns rioters could have spread the virus as they ransacked the Capitol building.
Dozens of lawmakers of both parties have contracted COVID-19 since the pandemic began, and members of both chambers began receiving vaccinations last month.