Two more fully vaccinated Texas House Democrats tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday after traveling to Washington D.C. last week, bringing the total number of cases to five, according to the caucus.
The Texas House Democratic Caucus announced that two additional members tested positive late Sunday. After three tested positive Saturday, the caucus said that all members and staff who flew to D.C. would be provided daily rapid tests.
“As part of this precautionary testing, today two additional Members who were fully vaccinated tested positive,” the caucus said in a statement, adding that “all of the HDC Members who tested positive are feeling good, with no symptoms or only mild symptoms.”
The caucus said they would not identify the lawmakers who tested positive, but state Representative Celia Israel confirmed that she was among the three that tested positive Saturday and state Representative Trey Martinez Fischer told the Austin American-Statesmen that he was among the two that tested positive Sunday.
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More than 51 members of the caucus left Austin last week for D.C. in an effort to block the passage of a restrictive GOP voting bill, which critics allege will make participating in elections harder for marginalized voters. The GOP-led Texas state Senate passed the voting bill a day after Democrats arrived in D.C.
In a statement, state Representative Chris Turner, chairman of the caucus, said that all members were following CDC guidance and protocols. “This is a sober reminder that COVID is still with us, and though vaccinations offer tremendous protection, we still must take necessary precautions,” he added.
People who have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 are not required to quarantine if they have been fully vaccinated against the disease and show no symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Members of the caucus, including at least two who tested positive, met with Vice President Kamala Harris and several Democratic U.S. senators, including Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand, during their trip. At the meeting, they urged Harris and congressional lawmakers to prioritize passing the federal For the People Act, which would enforce uniform voting laws across the country.
Symone Sanders, a senior adviser and chief spokesperson for Harris, said Saturday that the vice president and her staff present at the meeting “were not at risk of exposure because they were not in close contact with those who tested positive and therefore do not need to be tested or quarantined.”
Sanders told Newsweek late Sunday that Harris “was not in close contact” with the two additional state legislators who tested positive for COVID-19.
Newsweek reached out to the Texas House Democratic Caucus for additional information.
