https://twitter.com/fawfulfan/status/1312483440680337408
After testing positive for COVID-19, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said his view on mask mandates hasn’t changed, as Wisconsin Republican leaders have voiced their support for striking down the state’s order requiring face coverings be worn.
The Oshkosh Republican, who announced Saturday morning he had tested positive for the virus the previous day, instead touted “individual responsibility,” saying while he believes masks can help mitigate the risk, they’re “certainly not a cure-all.”
Johnson, who is at least the third Republican U.S. senator to have contracted the coronavirus recently, said he was tested on his way to the Ozaukee County Republican Party Oktoberfest Dinner in Mequon on Friday night.
Wisconsin officials warn of dire COVID-19 scenario as cases spike, flu season nears
But he still attended the event, saying he wore his mask until he spoke and stayed "at least 12 feet from anybody as [he was] speaking." He said he quickly left the dinner after his remarks.
Asked whether he was told to self-quarantine after getting tested, Johnson said there was “no reason to do so.”
“I’m not sick,” he said. “I have no symptoms. I certainly didn’t anticipate testing positive, so there was no reason to quarantine.”
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends those who are tested should isolate at home pending results, as well as follow the advice of one’s health care provider.
The latest news comes after a tumultuous week in which President Donald Trump, who had planned two campaign rallies in Wisconsin this weekend, tested positive for COVID-19 and was hospitalized. But at the state level, top Republicans who control the Legislature filed a motion backing a lawsuit that aims to get rid of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' statewide mask mandate, which expires Nov. 21.
Conservative firm seeks to overturn latest public health declaration, Wisconsin mask mandate
COVID-19 cases are surging in Wisconsin, with the state breaking daily records for new cases and deaths in recent days.
Johnson, who said he's not experiencing any symptoms and has not received any medical treatment tied to his diagnosis, also seemed unconcerned about how he was exposed to the virus, saying he suspected it originated from his chief of staff last month.
“I don’t blame anybody for this. We have a pandemic with a contagious disease,” he said, adding later: “To me, I don’t care where I might have got it from.”
Johnson said he got tested after hearing on a conference call Friday that fellow Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah contracted the virus.
Despite the cases, Johnson said he believed Republican senators are “doing a pretty good job” of taking the pandemic seriously, noting that people are wearing masks inside and “definitely doing the social distancing.”
“I’ll let other people convey their judgments in terms of ‘Have we done a good enough job?’ but I think we’re being responsible. I believe I certainly have been,” he said.
https://madison.com/ct/news/local/govt-and-politics/after-testing-positive-for-covid-19-ron-johnson-says-hes-still-against-mask-mandates/article_779c1b9f-e725-55cf-944c-03122be174e7.html
The party that will spread Covid -19 that can kill you, the party that will destroy unions, what's left of them, the party that will destroy the ACA. But yea, wish them well when they're sick.
