The First Member of Congress Has Tested Positive For the Wuhan Flu

Florida Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart has tested positive for the Wuhan flu, according to a statement he released on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. The Republican is the first congressman to test positive for the disease.

Diaz-Balart claimed that he began feeling the symptoms of the virus on Saturday which included “a fever and headache,” according to the statement his office published. He was informed that he had tested positive for the Wuhan virus on Wednesday.

“I want everyone to know that I am feeling much better,” the elected official said in the statement. “However, it is important that everyone take this extremely seriously and follow CDC guidelines in order to avoid getting sick and mitigate the spread of this virus. We must continue to work together to emerge stronger as a country during these trying times.”

The House is currently in recess with members going back to their districts, while the Senate has continued working despite the national recommendation that people not congregate in groups of more than 10 people.  The House will return soon, however, as both chambers of government work on legislation to tackle the Wuhan virus.

Although Diaz-Balart is the first member of Congress to be infected with the virus, a few others have self-quarantined a few days after contacting someone who has tested positive. This includes Senator Ted Cruz and Congressmen Matt Gaetz and Doug Collins, who all pursued similar action after interacting with a person last month at the Conservative Political Action Conference who was diagnosed with the virus. Furthermore, Gaetz and Collins met with President Donald Trump after the conference.

Cruz prolonged his initial self-quarantine after he discovered that he had met with a second person who caught the virus. He ended his quarantine on Tuesday.

It should be noted that Diaz-Balart is not the first major Florida politician to test positive for the virus. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said last week that he had caught the Wuhan flu after meeting with Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.

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