NY congresswoman presumed to have COVID-19, attended Friday House session
Nydia Velázquez, whose district includes the Jewish community on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, announces illness on Twitter, says she is self-isolating
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New York Rep. Nydia Velázquez, a Democrat who attended Friday’s House session to pass a $2 trillion rescue package, said Monday in a statement that she has a presumed coronavirus infection.
Velázquez, who represents parts of Brooklyn and Manhattan, stood within feet of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic and Republican leaders at a signing ceremony after the bill was passed.
Velázquez, 67, tweeted that she began to feel ill Sunday morning and spoke to the Capitol’s attending physician by phone. She said she was diagnosed with a presumed infection but has mild symptoms and is isolating at home, as the doctor recommended.
She represents New York’s 7th Congressional District, which includes the Lower East Side, once one of the largest Jewish neighborhoods in the United States.
I have been diagnosed with presumed coronavirus infection. My symptoms are mild. I am isolating myself at my home and following the guidance of the Office of Attending Physician.
My full statement is below. pic.twitter.com/9TgPXoy9dN
— Rep. Nydia Velazquez (@NydiaVelazquez) March 30, 2020
Velázquez maintains a good relationship with her local Jewish community, having spoken out against anti-Semitism and worked to honor Jewish figures in Congress. In 2012, she was involved in efforts to release an American-Jewish businessman who was detained without charges in Bolivia.
The Times of Israel Community.