Washington (AFP) – A Senate staffer has tested positive for coronavirus, the first known case on Capitol Hill, as the US Congress took the rare step Thursday of closing its doors to all visitors.
The staff member who tested positive for COVID-19 works in the Washington DC office of Senator Maria Cantwell of the state of Washington, the early epicenter of the US outbreak.
“The individual has been in isolation since starting to have symptoms,” Cantwell’s office said in a statement, adding that the lawmaker’s US Capitol office has been closed “for deep cleaning and staff will be teleworking.”
The person who tested positive “has had no known contact with the senator or other members of Congress.”
Meanwhile the Capitol, a landmark building that sees as many as five million visitors per year, and congressional office buildings were being closed to everyone except members of Congress, staff and journalists.
“The Sergeants at Arms of the House of Representatives and Senate have issued a temporary closure of the Capitol Visitor Center to all tours,” the two officials said in a statement, adding the closures will last until April 1.
The Pentagon says it too suspended tours due to coronavirus.
The Senate’s 100 members average 61 years old, above the median US age of 38, notable considering the heightened risks to the elderly posed by the deadly epidemic.
Twenty-seven senators are age 70 or older. One of them, 78-year-old Bernie Sanders, is running for president.
The Democratic-led House on Thursday was considering legislation that would intensify response efforts to address the health crisis in the United States, where 38 people have now died of the virus according to Johns Hopkins University’s tally.
The bill would provide for free coronavirus testing, paid emergency leave and enhanced unemployment insurance.