Georgia Lawmaker Tests Positive For Coronavirus

March 18th, 2020

In an email to senators and Senate staff, John Porter, chief of staff for the lieutenant governor’s office, advised them all to enter self-quarantine for 14 days, as the senator was present during Monday’s special session.

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Updated Thursday at 9:11 a.m.

Georgia state Sen. Brandon Beach, from Alpharetta, tested positive for coronavirus Wednesday, the first state lawmaker to be diagnosed. House and Senate members and staff are now in self-quarantine, as he had had symptoms that started March 10 and was present during Monday’s special session.

In an email to senators and Senate staff, John Porter, chief of staff for the lieutenant governor’s office, advised them all to enter self-quarantine for 14 days.

“After experiencing a fever and cough, I sought medical attention last week,” Beach said in a release. “The diagnosis I was given was not coronavirus, but I did get tested for it on Saturday. With medication, I felt better by Monday and thought I was in the clear. Today, however, my test came back positive.”

“For now, I’m at home. I continue to suffer from a fever and cough, but I’m following doctor’s orders, including the admonition to stay away from the hospital unless it becomes difficult to breathe. I know many Georgians are praying hard as we weather this crisis together, and frankly, I’d ask that they pray for me, as well as all the others in our state who are going through this right now – and those who soon will.”

“I’m shaking with rage,” said state Rep. Scot Turner, of Holly Springs, on Facebook.

He’s entering self-quarantine for two weeks.

“We were told if we had symptoms to refrain from going to the Capitol on Monday,” Turner said. “Senator Brandon Beach knew he was exhibiting symptoms since March the 10th!

“I have an elderly hospice patient at home. He irresponsibly stayed all day at the Capitol on Monday after being tested on Saturday and exposed all of us.”

Sen. Butch Miller, president pro tempore of the Senate, said this changes the perspective for members who may reconvene in a month to renew the governor’s state of public health emergency.

“Coming back in for the special session, this revelation of someone testing positive creates the atmosphere and reinforces the atmosphere that we need to be using an abundance of caution,” Miller said.

“When we’re symptomatic, we need to pay attention to that.”

Miller said his hospital advised him he did not need to be tested as he doesn’t have symptoms, “just like every other Georgian. That’s part of the traffic jam: people want to be tested when they don’t have symptoms. There’s a finite number of tests, of ventilators, of surgical masks.”