Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been placed in quarantine, according to her office. Drew Hammill, Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, disclosed Pelosi’s diagnosis in a statement, claiming the Speaker is showing no signs or symptoms of the virus.
“After testing negative earlier this week, Speaker Pelosi obtained a positive COVID-19 test result and is now asymptomatic.” In a tweet, Hammill added, “The Speaker is fully vaccinated and boosted, and is grateful for the excellent protection the vaccination has provided.”
“The Speaker will implement a quarantine in accordance with CDC recommendations, and he encourages everyone to get vaccinated, boosted, and tested on a regular basis,” he said.
On Wednesday, Pelosi joined President Biden at the White House for the signing of a Postal Service reform measure. The news of Pelosi’s diagnosis arrived only minutes before Pelosi’s weekly press conference in the Capitol, leaving the assembled reporters scurrying to relay the news. The news conference was short-lived.
The news comes as the House of Representatives prepares to leave Washington for an 18-day recess around Easter. A number of lawmakers have booked abroad excursions during the recess, including Pelosi, who was said to be planning a trip to Taiwan on Sunday, triggering Beijing’s threats of punishment.
Although Pelosi’s office has declined to confirm the travel, Hammill announced on Thursday that a “scheduled Congressional delegation to Asia” has been postponed to an indeterminate date.
Pelosi’s positive test comes as Democrats are backing away from rigorous COVID-19 public health precautions after more than two years of advocating for them as cases of the omicron variant decline across the country.
Biden plans to lift contentious emergency immigration restrictions imposed by his predecessor from the White House, while Pelosi recently reduced mask rules outside the Capitol complex.
The decision to soften border regulations, according to Rep. Pete Aguilar (Calif.), vice chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, reflects the plain fact that “the fundamental health circumstances in this country have changed.”
“Whether they are Central Americans or Ukrainians, we can’t pick and choose which refugees and asylum seekers come to this country,” Aguilar told reporters earlier this week. “As a result, we’re collaborating with the government, which has signaled that it intends to solve this.”
We are, nevertheless, moving on from the pandemic.”Nonetheless, there are strong indications that the pandemic is far from ending. Following their attendance at Washington’s annual Gridiron Dinner over the weekend, a number of important lawmakers, including some of Biden’s Cabinet secretaries, tested positive for COVID-19.
Democratic leaders are also pushing for billions more in pandemic relief to improve testing, vaccinations, and other preventative efforts – a bill that stopped in the Senate on Wednesday due to Republican resistance to ending migrant restrictions at the southern border.
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House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told reporters Tuesday that the pandemic was far from ended. “People are still dying, and people are still becoming sick….” And we can’t take our gaze away from ensuring that we continue to assist.”
