'Absolutely irresponsible': Rand Paul's colleagues are calling him out for reportedly going to the gym after being tested for the coronavirus
- Sen. Rand Paul's colleagues in the Senate are calling him out for reportedly refusing to practice social distancing after he was tested for the coronavirus.
- Paul, who tested positive for the coronavirus, used the Senate pool and gym after being tested, according to Washington Post reporter Seung Min Kim.
- Sen. Martha McSally, a Republican, said that "No one is too important to disregard guidance to self-quarantine pending test results."
- Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat, said Paul's actions were "absolutely irresponsible."
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Two of Sen. Rand Paul's colleagues in the Senate are calling him out for reportedly refusing to isolate himself after he was tested for the coronavirus.
Paul, a Republican from Kentucky who later tested positive for the coronavirus, continued to go out in public and used the Senate's pool and gym after being tested, according to Washington Post reporter Seung Min Kim.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat from Arizona, said on Twitter that while she has "never commented about a fellow Senator's choices/actions," Paul's actions were "absolutely irresponsible."
"You cannot be near other people while waiting for coronavirus test results," said Sinema, who has been outspoken about the need for social distancing to curb the impact of the coronavirus epidemic. "It endangers others & likely increases the spread of the virus."
Sen. Martha McSally, a Republican from Arizona, said she "couldn't agree more" with Sinema.
"As we ask all Americans to sacrifice their livelihoods and alter their behavior to save lives, we must ourselves model appropriate #coronavirus behavior," McSally said in a tweet. "No one is too important to disregard guidance to self-quarantine pending test results."
While Sinema and McSally have voiced their concerns publicly about Paul's reported actions, other senators and staff are also upset about Paul's refusal to quarantine, according to CNN's Manu Raju.
A representative for Paul was not immediately available for comment, but Paul's staff said in a post to his Twitter account that he "left the Senate IMMEDIATELY upon learning of his diagnosis."
Sinema said on Monday that "The gym closed last Thursday but some Senators kept going to it anyway. !!!"