Ted Cruz, Paul Gosar Say They Encountered Person With Coronavirus at CPAC

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) are both “self-quarantining” after learning that they interacted with a person infected with the coronavirus during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

Gosar and Cruz announced that they would be self-quarantining just hours apart on Twitter. News outlets had begun reporting that a CPAC attendee tested positive for the coronavirus on Saturday, just a day before Cruz and Gosar said they had interacted with the person. The infected attendee has only been identified as a 55-year-old man from Englewood, New Jersey.

On Twitter, Cruz said his interacted “consisted of a brief conversation and handshake.”

“I’m not experiencing any symptoms, and I feel fine and healthy,” Cruz said in a statement. “Nevertheless, out of an abundance of caution and because of how frequently I interact with my constituents as part of my job and to give everyone peace of mind, I have decided to remain at my home in Texas this week, until a full 14 days have passed since the CPAC interaction.”

Additionally, Gosar said he was “with the individual for an extended period of time, and we shook hands several times.” Both Cruz and Gosar were asymptomatic and described their decision to self-quarantine as an act of caution.

Each year, CPAC draws in thousands of attendees. This year, both President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence were in attendance. While Trump and Pence have tried to assure the country the virus is under control, stock markets have been roiled for weeks and Congress just passed $8.3 billion of funding in a bipartisan bill to beef up the response.

As of Sunday, the virus had killed 22 people and infected at least 515 in the United States, according to ABC News. Nearly 110,000 cases and more than 3,800 deaths have been reported across the globe.