Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez is in quarantine after contracting symptoms of the novel coronavirus, she said in a Tweet on Monday.
“I have been diagnosed with presumed coronavirus infection. My symptoms are mild. I am isolating myself at my home and following the guidance of the Office of Attending Physician,” said 67-year-old Velazquez, who represents swaths of Brooklyn, from Sunset Park to East New York.
I have been diagnosed with presumed coronavirus infection. My symptoms are mild. I am isolating myself at my home and following the guidance of the Office of Attending Physician.
My full statement is below. pic.twitter.com/9TgPXoy9dN
— Rep. Nydia Velazquez (@NydiaVelazquez) March 30, 2020
The legislator developed symptoms — such as muscle aches, fevers, and a loss of smell and taste — but declined to receive a lab test at the advice of the Office of Attending Physician, which takes care of members of Congress’ health needs.
Instead, Velazquez will quarantine at home and work with her staff remotely, she said.
“I’ll continue my work on behalf of New Yorkers as together we overcome this virus,” she said. “In that regard, I encourage everyone to stay at home and continue practicing social distancing.”
Velazquez was present in the nation’s capital on March 27 to vote in favor of the “CARES Act” — a $2 trillion economic stimulus package that includes a $1,200 no-strings-attached check to Americans earning less that $75,000, an expansion of unemployment benefits, as well as other policies.
Velazquez becomes the latest in a series of Kings County legislators who have contracted the virus.
Assembly Members Helene Weinstein and Charles Barron both contracted the virus, and Barron’s wife, Councilwoman Inez Barron, later tested positive for the virus herself while in self-quarantine, according to the New York Post.
