Pelosi calls on House lawmakers to practice ‘social distancing’

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Sunday called on members of Congress to practice “social distancing” in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

“As you know, at the direction of the Sergeant at Arms, the House and Senate have canceled Capitol tours for now.  As the House continues our work to confront this public health emergency, we must ensure that we can continue to serve our constituents effectively,” Pelosi said in a Dear Colleague letter.

“The health and safety of our staff is essential to this mission. In bipartisan consultation with the Attending Physician and the Sergeant at Arms, and out of an abundance of caution, I am writing to encourage you to take steps to promote social distancing within your Washington, D.C. office as we engage in the District Work Period,” she added. “This may entail more than half of your Washington staff teleworking from home.”

Pelosi’s announcement comes the same day a former staffer with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff’s (D-Calif.) office was confirmed to have tested positive for the virus.

“Medical professionals believe that my former staff member likely contracted the virus after leaving the office, but we will still be taking additional precautions over the next few days,” Schiff said in a statement. “The former staffer is feeling better and no current staff have reported any flu-like symptoms at this time.”

Several individual members of Congress have also entered voluntary self-quarantines after possible exposure, including Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Doug Collins (R-Ga.), Don Beyer (D-Va.) and Paul Gosar (R-Az.).