PA Republican Tests Positive for COVID19; Reps Don't Tell Dems

[iluvatar5150]

Here's a doozy:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/05/28/pennsylvania-coronavirus-test-republican/

One of the PA Republican state legislators tested positive and Republican leadership started contact tracing among other Republicans, but they kept it secret from the Democrats for a week.

Democratic state legislators in Pennsylvania accused their Republican counterparts Wednesday of keeping a GOP lawmaker’s positive coronavirus diagnosis under wraps for days, arguing that the lack of transparency may have increased their risk of contracting the potentially deadly infection.

Republican state Rep. Andrew Lewis released a statement Wednesday revealing that he received his positive test result on May 20 — a jarring announcement that rattled House Democrats who said they had no idea he had been sick or that other GOP members had been told to self-quarantine due to possible exposure.

Lewis, whose last appearance at the state Capitol was on May 14, said he immediately went into isolation after testing positive and informed House officials about his condition. He stressed that “every member or staff member who met the criteria for exposure” was contacted and told to isolate. One of Lewis’s GOP colleagues confirmed on social media Wednesday that he had been asked to self-quarantine, but Democrats said they are aware of at least two other Republicans who were also instructed to stay home.

 

[Nithavela]

Thats not a doozy, thats biological terrorism.

 

[Kentonio]

That is despicable.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

That is despicable.

That is the modern Republican Party.

 

[whatbogsends]

Brian Simms from the PA House of Representatives posted a video on this. I can't link due to language, but it expresses the significance and impact of these actions.

Despicable is an understatement. The Republicans were exposing Democrats to the virus and hiding it from them. They put the lives of the Democratic Representatives and their families from this action. This should be prosecuted.

 

[RocksInMyHead]

Kind of surprised I hadn't heard about this, considering I work for the PA state Senate. But also, unfortunately, par for the course given my limited experience with the state GOP. The state House especially has made an effort to turn wearing a mask into a political issue.
Pa. GOP lawmaker says he tested positive for COVID-19; Democrats demand more information

 

[The Barbarian]

A new low, but that's how things have been going for the GOP. If you're an old-fashioned conservative republican, this must be humiliating.

 

[Hazelelponi]

Here's a doozy:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/05/28/pennsylvania-coronavirus-test-republican/

One of the PA Republican state legislators tested positive and Republican leadership started contact tracing among other Republicans, but they kept it secret from the Democrats for a week.

If they ran through contact tracing and he hadn't been in recent close contact with any democrats, then there would have been no reason for notification....

Contact tracing is just that, a list of those you have been in close contact within the last two weeks prior to diagnosis and quarantine. It doesn't include every republican member of the house either if you notice... and these days with work from home and zoom meetings etc, it involves very few, if social distancing is being followed...

For there to be only a couple close members, would be par for the course as a general rule these days.

According to HIPPA privacy laws, no public announcement need ever be given...just contact tracing.

 

[iluvatar5150]

Brian Simms from the PA House of Representatives posted a video on this. I can't link due to language, but it expresses the significance and impact of these actions.

Despicable is an understatement. The Republicans were exposing Democrats to the virus and hiding it from them. They put the lives of the Democratic Representatives and their families from this action. This should be prosecuted.

His video is in my OP link towards the bottom.

If they ran through contact tracing and he hadn't been in recent close contact with any democrats, then there would have been no reason for notification....

Contact tracing is just that, a list of those you have been in close contact within the last two weeks prior to diagnosis and quarantine. It doesn't include every republican member of the house either if you notice... and these days with work from home and zoom meetings etc, it involves very few, if social distancing is being followed...

For there to be only a couple close members, would be par for the course as a general rule these days.

As far as I can tell, they only conducted contact tracing for Rep Lewis. According to Rep Diamond (whose Twitter post is included in the OP) they didn't follow up with any further contacts who could have been infected by the people Lewis contacted. Members of both parties have been working in committees together.

Additionally, the facilities would also have to be cleaned, which I presume hasn't happened else everybody would've known about the infection.

 

[Hazelelponi]

His video is in my OP link towards the bottom.



As far as I can tell, they only conducted contact tracing for Rep Lewis. According to Rep Diamond (whose Twitter post is included in the OP) they didn't follow up with any further contacts who could have been infected by the people Lewis contacted. Members of both parties have been working in committees together.

Additionally, the facilities would also have to be cleaned, which I presume hasn't happened else everybody would've known about the infection.

Yes but isn't that then a failure in public health? It doesn't seem to follow that the infected member is conducting "bioterrorism" when he provided the information the health department asked of him.

It seems a far better use of these lawmakers time to, instead of making this a partisan issue, to make sure there are clear protocols in place within public health to follow, and a means of checks in order to be certain these protocols are being followed for the good of the public.

as a beside, I don't usually watch videos even when provided. I would disturb my family to do so, so anything with sound I don't often take the time to listen.

 

[Paulos23]

That is frustrating, but could be more due to our cultural training rather than being malicious. It has been for a long time normal to show up for work sick because if you don't work you don't get paid in most jobs. Also, missing a day or two because of a flu is seen as week.

But Covid-19 is not a simple flu (heck, the flu is not as benign as people make it out to be) and needs to be tracked and reported. We need to get over the idea that because you are sick you are week.

 

[iluvatar5150]

Yes but isn't that then a failure in public health?

Depends on who was running things over there. Is there some non-partisan office in the PA General Assembly that handles these things? Or was this handled in-house by the House Republicans? It certainly seems to have been handled by the Republicans.

It doesn't seem to follow that the infected member is conducting "bioterrorism" when he provided the information the health department asked of him.

Who said anything about bioterrorism? Was that in Sims' video? Either way, did this person accuse Lewis of "bioterrorism" for being sick or did they accuse the Republican leadership for not telling their political opponents?

It seems a far better use of these lawmakers time to, instead of making this a partisan issue, to make sure there are clear protocols in place within public health to follow, and a means of checks for this system.

It was the Republicans who made it a partisan issue first by balking at all the protective measures and then by keeping things secret from their opponents.

That is frustrating, but could be more due to our cultural training rather than being malicious. It has been for a long time normal to show up for work sick because if you don't work you don't get paid in most jobs. Also, missing a day or two because of a flu is seen as week.

But Covid-19 is not a simple flu (heck, the flu is not as benign as people make it out to be) and needs to be tracked and reported. We need to get over the idea that because you are sick you are week.

I didn't see anybody criticizing Lewis for getting sick and AFAIK, he didn't come to work with symptoms. The issue is that Republican leadership didn't pursue contact tracing beyond his immediate contacts, didn't tell anybody outside their party and, likely didn't do any cleaning of the facilities.

 

[Paulos23]

I didn't see anybody criticizing Lewis for getting sick and AFAIK, he didn't come to work with symptoms. The issue is that Republican leadership didn't pursue contact tracing beyond his immediate contacts, didn't tell anybody outside their party and, likely didn't do any cleaning of the facilities.

I just saw the video, and I was wrong. This is a criminal act, and people need to be investigated.

This could be seen as an act of terrorism.

 

[trunks2k]

Heck, when ONE person in my corporate office tested positive, they at least sent out a company wide email letting everyone know that somebody had tested positive. They didn't say who, but explained that the person had not been in the office for over two weeks before testing positive (pretty much everyone had been working from home for about a month at that point) and had not had any physical contact with co-workers as well. So nobody who had been in the office recently had anything to worry about. They at least wanted to help squash any fear or rumors flying around.

I find it pretty astounding that with what should be a pretty tight-knit group of people, that they wouldn't at least say "Someone we work closely with has tested positive for covid-19. Take whatever precautions you deem necessary".

 

[Hazelelponi]

Either way, did this person accuse Lewis of "bioterrorism" for being sick or did they accuse the Republican leadership for not telling their political opponents?

It was members in this thread making it a partisan issue and calling it bioterrorism.

Or was this handled in-house by the House Republicans? It certainly seems to have been handled by the Republicans.

Here in my state, if you test positive for SARS-COVID-19, the public health department is put on notice (if you underwent private testing) and it is they who do the contact tracing and notification of those who came into contact with the infected individual.

This assures two things, 1.) Privacy under the HIPPA laws and 2.) This ensures all proper protocols for the pandemic are followed (i.e. proper cleaning of public places, notifications of all potential carriers, necessary quarantine of individuals etc)

So if Pennsylvania isn't doing this, they need to. Communicable diseases during a pandemic shouldn't be left up to individual good will, regardless of who they are...

The issue is that Republican leadership didn't pursue contact tracing

They shouldn't have to... this is what we have health departments for.

Hire more people in if need be for the unusually high work load caused by the pandemic.

 

[iluvatar5150]

Heck, when ONE person in my corporate office tested positive, they at least sent out a company wide email letting everyone know that somebody had tested positive. They didn't say who, but explained that the person had not been in the office for over two weeks before testing positive (pretty much everyone had been working from home for about a month at that point) and had not had any physical contact with co-workers as well. So nobody who had been in the office recently had anything to worry about. They at least wanted to help squash any fear or rumors flying around.

I find it pretty astounding that with what should be a pretty tight-knit group of people, that they wouldn't at least say "Someone we work closely with has tested positive for covid-19. Take whatever precautions you deem necessary".

That's exactly what they did at my office, too.

 

[iluvatar5150]

It was members in this thread making it a partisan issue and calling it bioterrorism.

Thanks, I'd overlooked that.

Hire more people in if need be for the unusually high work load caused by the pandemic.

I have no problem with staffing up under-manned agencies of any sort, but that's not a typical Republican attitude.

 

[Hazelelponi]

I have no problem with staffing up under-manned agencies of any sort, but that's not a typical Republican attitude.

I'm a republican and most republicans in this country were all for putting proper measures in place to deal with this pandemic.

Look around even this forum, pretty much no one says no measures should be taken.

This sort of thing is part and parcel what all these national emergency pronouncements and additional funding for the pandemic was supposed to be going to - so that the response was appropriate to the pandemic.

This leaves the states having a responsibly to put in place protocols for their individual health departments to follow... if they aren't doing that in PA, it's the fault of the entire PA legislature. Republican and democrats both although in this case PA. republicans bear the brunt of the blame, as they hold majority I assume, but the blame here is for FAR more than just this one instance, it's for not having a public health response and protocol in place in their state, period.

 

[wing2000]

I agree with this PA State Representative -- whether it's an employee of Walmart or a state representative, the employer, or in this case, the GOP leadership, have an ethical responsibility to inform colleagues that a member was infected. Every person should be afforded an opportunity to assess his or her risk in light of the information....

Rep. Jennifer O'Mara on Twitter

 

[The Barbarian]

It was members in this thread making it a partisan issue and calling it bioterrorism

The republicans, by not telling the democrats about the exposure, made it a partisan issue. How hard is that to understand? If they only told women of both parties, it would be a sex discrimination issue. But they decided to provide information on the basis of party. Hence, partisan issue.