The Michigan House has canceled its voting session scheduled for Tuesday following an announcement that President Donald Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani tested positive for the coronavirus.
Giuliani visited Lansing last Wednesday to testify for hours before a Republican-led committee investigating alleged election irregularities. Without wearing a mask, he pushed lawmakers to ignore the certification of Democrat Joe Biden's win over Trump and appoint electors.
After consulting with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services as well as state health officials, The Ingham County Health Department concluded that, given the course of his illness, Giuliani was likely contagious during the hearing. In a press release, the Ingham County Health Department advised that anyone who did not wear a face covering during the hearing should quarantine, as well as anyone who was within six feet of Giuliani for 15 minutes.
“Unfortunately, Mayor Giuliani has been hospitalized with COVID-19. His hospitalization comes only days after being in a confined conference room in Lansing for several hours without a mask,” said Ingham County Health Officer Linda S. Vail. “Adding to my concern is that many attendees were also unmasked. This is the highest level of risk. [...] I wish Mayor Giuliani a full and speedy recovery.”
House Speaker Lee Chatfield (R-Levering) says multiple representatives have requested time to receive results from recent COVID-19 tests before returning to session out of an abundance of caution.
The standard length for quarantining has been 14 days, however the CDC has now made allowances for 10 days of quarantine as long as those who faced exposure wear masks on day 11-14 as long as they remain symptom free. According to the press release "neither ICHD nor MDHHS advise testing to shorten the quarantine period at this time" and those who attended the hearing at the Anderson House Office Building should quarantine through Dec. 17.
