Sen. Rand Paul Tests Positive for the Coronavirus

He is asymptomatic and in quarantine.

Sen. Rand Paul (R–Ky.) has been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus. While he's asymptomatic, he is nevertheless quarantining himself. His office tweeted today:

He expects to be back in the Senate after his quarantine period ends and will continue to work for the people of Kentucky at this difficult time. Ten days ago, our D.C. office began operating remotely, hence virtually no staff has had contact with Senator Rand Paul.

— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 22, 2020

Paul has put forth his own recommendations for fighting the coronavirus so that Congress would resist the urge "to lard up the response with their pet projects, from tax breaks to pet social issues." He's calling for increasing the supply of masks and ventilators and is introducing legislation to speed up testing and production of vaccines.

He's also proposed a temporary halt to payroll taxes and an expansion of the federal unemployment program to cover people who need to take medical leaves due to the coronavirus, rather than requiring business owners to cover the costs at a time when many of them are losing huge amounts of money as commerce comes to a near halt. Read more of his plan here.

Paul appears to be the first U.S. senator diagnosed with the virus. Two members of the House tested positive last week.