House Democratic Leader Frank Dermody said he and other House members were shocked to learn that Republican Rep. Andrew Lewis found out he tested positive for COVID-19 on May 20 and they only learned about it on Wednesday.
Lewis, 33, said he has completed his 14-day self-isolation dating to the time when the Dauphin County Republican believes he may have been exposed. He said he is now fully recovered from the mild flu-like symptoms he experienced from the coronavirus.
“While we are pleased to learn that this House member seems to have recovered, it is simply unacceptable that some House Republicans knew about this for more than a week and sat on that knowledge,” said Dermody of Allegheny County.
He said more than a week ago, with several other colleagues self-quarantining this week, no notice was provided to the people working closely with them at the Capitol.
“Knowing how House members and staff work closely together at the Capitol, we should have been made aware of this much sooner. We should not have learned of it from a media report,” Dermody said.
Two of those self-quarantining are Reps. Russ Diamond and Frank Ryan, both Lebanon County Republicans who regularly have attended House sessions in person rather than voting by proxy as temporary House rules permit.
Both lawmakers’ 14-day quarantines will end on Thursday. Neither Diamond nor Ryan said they experienced symptoms. They both used the same words to describe how they were feeling: “I feel like a million bucks.”
Dermody said in the last two weeks, House members held six voting session days and more than 15 committee meetings.
“For those members who journeyed to the Capitol in person, each of these meetings raises the risk of possible exposure,” he said.
“In the last two weeks alone, there were six days of voting sessions here at the Capitol and more than 15 separate meetings of House committees voting on dozens of bills. For those members who journeyed to the Capitol in person, each of these meetings raises the risk of possible exposure."
Lewis said on his last day at the Capitol on May 14, he encountered only a handful of people that he typically crosses paths with in carrying out his legislative duties. He said all of them were notified shortly after he reported to House HR officials about his positive test results.
House Republican spokesman Mike Straub said in an email, “We followed data and science, implementing the guidelines from the CDC and PA Dept of Health, in line with exactly what Gov. Wolf requires from any business that wishes to operate. Anyone who met those guidelines was notified and quarantined.”
Several House Democratic members then took to social media to air their complaints.
“What makes this situation even more galling is that some House members, a vocal few, have attempted to make a virtue out of not wearing a mask when in close proximity to others," Dermody said in a news release.
“One of them [Diamond] testified to a full committee last week and also spoke on the House floor,” he said. "This attitude shows a fundamental lack of respect for fellow lawmakers, our staff and our families back home. On their behalf, we are demanding more answers about this than we’ve received thus far.”
Diamond said he didn’t learn of his potential exposure to the coronavirus until 5:09 p.m. on May 21, which was after he testified to the committee and was on the House floor.
Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny County, also expressed his irritation with the handling of the situation.
“I am horrified to learn that members of the General Assembly failed to do the right thing, at a time when so many Pennsylvanians are doing so in much more difficult situations,” he said.
“The failure of these Republican members and their leadership to follow basic safety protocols makes plain their disregard for those around them, but worse: it reveals a total abdication of their responsibility to act as leaders during this confusing time," Frankel said. "The virus doesn’t care about someone’s ideology. The virus doesn’t care if you believe in it.”
Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy.
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