- Rep.
Barry Moore ofAlabama tweeted Friday that he had tested positive for thecoronavirus . - He wouldn't tell a Daily Beast reporter whether he had been vaccinated or not.
- Last month, Moore called Nancy Pelosi a "tyrant" for mandating masks in the House.
Rep. Barry Moore of Alabama, a Republican who has resisted mask and vaccine mandates, has tested positive for COVID-19.
Moore, 50, broke the news on Twitter on Friday, saying he and his wife tested positive for the virus.
He refused to say whether he had been vaccinated against the coronavirus when asked by a Daily Beast reporter on Saturday.
Read more: Governors of all 50 states are now vaccinated against COVID-19, Insider finds
In his Twitter announcement, Moore said he believes "every American has the freedom to make their own health-related decisions" but said he encourages "talking with your doctor about the different vaccines and therapies available and making an informed decision about the prevention and treatment that is best for you."
"Now is the time to act - don't wait until you or someone you love is sick."
-Rep. Barry Moore (@RepBarryMoore) August 20, 2021
Moore told The Daily Beast he'd experienced a fever, sore throat, and exhaustion. He was also upset that he had to miss former President Donald Trump's rally in Cullman, Alabama, on Saturday.
The freshman Republican has been outspoken against mask and vaccination mandates.
After House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) reinstituted a mask mandate in the House last month over the spread of the Delta variant, Moore called her a "tyrant" in a Twitter video filmed inside the Capitol Building, while he wasn't wearing a mask.
-Rep. Barry Moore (@RepBarryMoore) July 29, 2021
He has also been against the vaccine mandate for military members, calling it a "reckless" decision, according to the Montgomery Advertiser.
Alabama is one of the least vaccinated states in the country, with just 35.2% of its population fully vaccinated, according to August 13 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state is in the midst of a serious surge of cases. Last week, a hospitals official said the state had run out of intensive care unit beds.