State Rep. Brostoff Quarantining After Coronavirus Exposure

Rep. Jonathan Brostoff. Photo courtesy of Brostoff.

State Rep. Jonathan Brostoff (D-Milwaukee) announced Thursday that he has exposure to someone that tested positive for COVID-19.

In a Facebook post, Brostoff said he was recently contacted by the Department of Health Services letting him know that he was exposed to someone with a confirmed case of COVID-19 and that he had voluntarily started to self quarantine.

On his quarantine, Brostoff said, “Not only is it the right thing to do for public health, it’s also actually not that bad!”

Brostoff said he’s “keeping a cool head” during his quarantine, making sure he is following the guidelines set out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He said he feels lucky knowing that “some of the top minds in the world” are working on solutions to the Coronavirus pandemic. Not to mention, he said, the healthcare officials and employees working on the problem in the state and here in Milwaukee.

Brostoff, who is married with a young child, said he found out about his exposure when he answered a call on his phone from a number he didn’t recognize. The Department of Health Services told him about his exposure and gave him information about what to do, which Brostoff said was very detailed and helpful.

Getting the call can be “a little jarring,” he said. But noted that as long as you ask questions and follow the guidelines, it is a pretty easy experience.

Brostoff encourages everyone to social distance and stay home as much as possible. He said modern technology makes it easier to stay in touch with friends and family and he encourages everyone to reach out to each other during this time of increased isolation.

He said he will be doing daily updates on his Facebook page during his quarantine in an attempt to de-stigmatize the process and spread awareness.

A number of elected officials in Wisconsin and the country have self quarantined after coming in contact with individuals that have confirmed cases of the virus.

Rep. Gwen Moore announced on March 16 that she was self-quarantining after coming in contact with someone that tested positive. Former Gov. Scott Walker was one of the earliest Wisconsin politicians to announce he came in contact with someone that had COVID-19 and that he was self-quarantining.

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson, who was one of the few U.S. Senators to vote against a COVID-19 relief legislative package this week, previously announced that he had met with a member of Spanish Parliament that tested positive for COVID-19. Johnson did not self-quarantine.