U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) speaks after the Senate Republican GOP leadership election on Capitol Hill in Washington, November 10, 2020.
Erin Scott | Reuters
Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said Friday he has tested positive for the coronavirus and is working from home until he can safely return to Washington.
Scott, 67, is the second Republican senator in a week to test positive for Covid-19: 87-year-old Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa announced his own diagnosis three days earlier.
Republicans hold a 53-47 edge in the Senate.
Just a week earlier, Scott had campaigned in Georgia for GOP Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, both of whom face runoff elections in January that could determine which party controls the Senate.
During that trip, Scott appeared in a crowded restaurant and spoke without wearing a mask before a crowd in which mask-wearing was reportedly minimal.
Despite his own recent actions, Scott in a pair of tweets urged Americans to “do the right things” to protect each other from contracting the virus, such as wearing a mask and maintaining a safe social distance.
“After several negative tests, I learned I was positive for COVID-19 this AM. I’m feeling good & experiencing very mild symptoms,” Scott tweeted.
“I’ll be working from home until it’s safe for me to return to DC. I remind everyone to be careful & do the right things to protect yourselves & others.”
“Wear a mask. Socially distance. Quarantine if you come in contact with someone positive like I did,” Scott added. “We will beat this together, but we all must be responsible. I want to thank all the incredible health care workers who are working around the clock to care for patients.”
In the House, 87-year-old Republican Rep. Don Young of Alaska announced last week he was being treated for Covid and is working from home. He was just re-elected to his 25th term.
