Gwen Moore Positive for COVID-19

U.S. Representative Gwen Moore has tested positive for COVID-19, she announced Monday afternoon.

The congresswoman from the state’s fourth congressional district said she is quarantining, and “thankful to be feeling well,” and that she doesn’t believe it will disrupt her work as a congressperson. Moore also encouraged COVID-19 mitigation efforts like social distancing, mask wearing and hand washing.

Early on in the pandemic, Moore announced that she had been exposed and went into a quarantine. During a media briefing in March, she said “I am really taking the stay at home message to heart.”

She said this the day after the state’s Stay At Home order went into effect. This order was the hard lockdown that shut down many non-essential businesses and places where people could gather.

Moore is a cancer survivor. In 2019, she announced that she was diagnosed with small-cell lymphocytic lymphoma the previous year, and that it was in remission. In March, when she was quarantining after an exposure, she said, “I am doing very well on oral medication, chemo treatment. But what this means is I have a deficient immune system.”

At that time, the Black community in Milwaukee was already experiencing disproportionately high levels of infection and deaths from COVID-19. During the media briefing, Moore said she had lost count of the number of contacts she had with people that later tested positive for COVID-19.

A number of Wisconsin politicians and elected leaders have tested positive for COVID-19, and not all of them have had the same reaction.

In October, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported that a handful of Republican state legislators, staffers and lobbyists were infected at a retirement party. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos’ Chief of Staff Jenny Toftness was in attendance and also contracted COVID-19. Despite the handful of infections, none of the lawmakers disclosed their illness to the state Department of Administration, which is responsible for the state capitol, for possible contact tracing.

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson tested positive for COVID-19 in October after being exposed for the second time in a month. The night before he announced his positive test, he was at fundraiser held by the Republican Party of Ozaukee where there was a number of Wisconsin Republican politicians in attendance including Rep. Glenn Grothman, State Senator Duey Stroebel, State Representatives Dan Knodl and Jim Ott and former Attorney General Brad Schimel.

In late March, State Rep. David Bowen announced he had tested positive for COVID-19 and urged people to stay home and follow social distancing guidelines. In September, State Rep. Scott Allen also announced he had tested positive for COVID-19. In November, U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil announced that he tested positive for COVID-19. And Milwaukee City Attorney Tearman Spencer tested positive in April.