Senate

Second GOP senator to quarantine after exposure to coronavirus

by Jordain Carney - 09/17/20 3:47 PM ET

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) will be placed in quarantine after being exposed to an individual with the coronavirus, his office announced on Thursday.

Johnson was told Thursday he had been exposed to an individual on Monday who tested positive for COVID-19. Johnson received a coronavirus test on Wednesday night because he had been expected to travel with President Trump on Thursday. That test came back negative.

As a result of having been placed in quarantine until Sept. 29, Johnson “will not be traveling with the President or attending the event in Mosinee tonight,” Johnson’s office said in a statement.

Johnson is the second Republican senator currently quarantining after being exposed to an individual with the coronavirus.

The office of Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) announced on Tuesday that she had tested negative after being exposed to an individual with the coronavirus but would continue to quarantine in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.

Though several House members have had confirmed cases of the coronavirus, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is the only senator known to have tested positive for the coronavirus, which he had in March.

But Sens. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) both disclosed in May that they had tested positive for antibodies, indicating they had been exposed to the virus.