Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn (R) announced Sunday that he tested positive for the coronavirus.
Gunn said in a video posted on his Facebook page that he sought evidence after coming in contact with another lawmaker who had also been diagnosed with the virus.
“I felt like I needed to get tested just because I had been with this person and this morning they informed me that I had also tested positive for COVID,” Gunn said, adding that he will isolate himself. “I feel very lucky that I don’t have many symptoms and feel good.”
The legislator, who did not identify the other member of the House who tested positive for the virus, said he had contacted someone with whom he was in close contact to tell them that he had tested positive. He also asked anyone experiencing symptoms to also self-quarantine and notify anyone they have been in contact with if they test positive.
“We need to make sure we do everything we can to get through this as quickly as possible,” he said.
Mississippi lawmakers met for much of June, sometimes wearing masks and sometimes not, and often sat together in committee rooms as they discussed the successful proposal to remove the Confederate battle flag from the state flag, it reported. The Associated Press.
The state health department reported another 226 new cases on Saturday. Thomas Dobbs, the state’s top health official, tweeted a graph of rising numbers of cases last Thursday, warning residents “things are getting worse too quickly” and urging them to avoid large gatherings and parties.
Be safe the weekend of July 4th! Recommend celebrating ONLY with household members! Please avoid parties, gatherings. Things get worse very quickly. pic.twitter.com/gWIG4SRfnR
– Thomas Dobbs (@TCBPubHealth) July 2, 2020
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