BREAKING: Senator Rand Paul Tests Positive for Coronavirus
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul’s office has announced on Twitter that he has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Sunday’s statement says that he is in quarantine and his office has been working remotely for ten days, so he has not had direct contact with any of his staff.
“Senator Rand Paul has tested positive for COVID-19. He is feeling fine and is in quarantine. He is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person,” the senator’s tweet said. “He expects to be back in the Senate after his quarantine period ends and will continue to work for the people of Kentucky at this difficult time. Ten days ago, our D.C. office began operating remotely, hence virtually no staff has had contact with Senator Rand Paul.”He expects to be back in the Senate after his quarantine period ends and will continue to work for the people of Kentucky at this difficult time. Ten days ago, our D.C. office began operating remotely, hence virtually no staff has had contact with Senator Rand Paul.— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 22, 2020
The Kentucky Senator had part of his lung removed last year due to injuries he sustained when he was violently attacked by his neighbor.
“Unfortunately, I will have to limit my August activities. Part of my lung damaged by the 2017 assault had to be removed by surgery this weekend,” Paul wrote in an August, 2019, statement. “The doctors, nurses, & staff at Vanderbilt University Medical Center were great. I should be able to return to the Senate in September.”
It does not appear that this has created complications with coronavirus, however, as he says he is asymptomatic.
Sen. Paul has also been an outspoken critic of government overreach during the pandemic.
We absolutely must, must, resist government run amok taking advantage of a crisis. This is how your liberty dies. Stand up America and resist.— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 22, 2020
DOJ seeks new emergency powers amid coronavirus pandemic - POLITICO https://t.co/kN6twMTR4f
On Saturday, Sen. Paul tweeted that “we absolutely must, must, resist government run amok taking advantage of a crisis. This is how your liberty dies. Stand up America and resist,” along with a link to a Politico article about how the Department of Justice is seeking new emergency powers amid the pandemic.
In an opinion piece for The Hill over the weekend, Sen. Paul, who is also a doctor, wrote his “prescription for combating the coronavirus.”
“As a physician, we learn early and take an oath to ‘do no harm.’ This is an important principle to apply to both the medical and the economic steps taken to combat the current situation,” he wrote. “Right now, every special interest in Washington is fighting to lard up the response with their pet projects, from tax breaks to pet social issues. This is wrong, and we must avoid this temptation.”
He wrote that “there are also those advocating for $1-2 TRILLION in new spending in the next few months. We simply cannot sustain that as an economy. We must look to be more precise with our actions.”
Sen. Paul expects to return to work in senate as soon as his quarantine period ends.
