Congresswoman says she tested positive for COVID-19 after sheltering during Capitol coup attempt with 'several colleagues who refused to wear masks'

• A New Jersey representative said she tested positive for COVID-19 after sheltering in place with lawmakers during the riot at the Capitol last Wednesday.
• Democratic Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, a 75-year-old cancer survivor starting her third term, made the announcement on Twitter on Monday.
• "Following the events of Wednesday, including sheltering with several colleagues who refused to wear masks, I decided to take a Covid test," Watson Coleman tweeted. "I have tested positive."
• "While I am experiencing mild, cold-like symptoms, I remain in good spirits and will continue to work on behalf of my constituents," Watson Coleman said in a statement issued by her office, adding that she was isolating at home.

A House Democrat announced on Monday that she tested positive for the coronavirus after sheltering in place with "several colleagues who refused to wear masks" during the Capitol siege last Wednesday.

"Following the events of Wednesday, including sheltering with several colleagues who refused to wear masks, I decided to take a Covid test," Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman tweeted. "I have tested positive."

Watson Coleman, a 75-year-old cancer survivor, is beginning her third term in Congress. She hails from the central New Jersey district that includes the capital, Trenton.

Her office said she received the first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine when it was made available to members of Congress.

Read more: Could Trump mass-pardon his supporters who rioted at the Capitol? He has the power, and there is historical precedent

In a statement published on her website, Watson Coleman said she was isolating at home.

"While I am experiencing mild, cold-like symptoms, I remain in good spirits and will continue to work on behalf of my constituents," she said.

Another representative said last week that "about half" of the 300 or 400 lawmakers who crowded into a secure location during the siege refused to wear masks.

A video from the day of the siege showed Democratic Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester offering masks to some of her Republican colleagues. They declined.