U.S. Rep. Doug Collins put himself into self-quarantine on Monday after he learned he had contact with someone at a recent conference who has tested positive for COVID-19, but his message to people is not to overreact to news about the virus.
The Gainesville Republican said he got a call about 1:15 p.m. Monday from the organizers of the Conservative Political Action Committee conference, telling him he had been photographed shaking hands with the person who has the virus.
“I probably took 250 or 300 photographs that day,” Collins said in a telephone interview with AccessWDUN. “The good news is that was 10 days ago, and I’m not symptomatic at all. In fact, I feel as healthy as I ever have. But we decided out of an abundance of caution, we would self-quarantine”
Health experts say people who are exposed to the virus should self-quarantine for 14 days, meaning that Collins will need to stay at his home in Gainesville through Thursday.
Collins said he believes the federal government and the state government are doing a good job of fighting the spread of the virus. He blamed misinformation being spread online and other places for people feeling anxious about coronavirus.
“It’s important for me to show that coming into contact with someone doesn’t mean you automatically have it,” Collins said. “But you follow proper protocols and we can have some control over this virus.”
Collins reiterated that he had no symptoms and said he wanted to assure people he had come into contact with that he is healthy. Collins is travelling around the state as part of his campaign for the U.S. Senate.
“We’re not trying to hide anything from anybody,” the congressman said. “I’m not symptomatic. We’ve been meeting people all over the state of Georgia and I assure them they are fine.”
Collins is at least the fifth member of Congress to self-quarantine over contact with the person at CPAC, which was held at the end of February in Maryland. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona and Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida also had contact with the person at CPAC.Late Monday, Rep. Mark Meadows, who was recently named President Trump's new chief of staff, announced he had contact with the individual and was going into self-quarantine. A sixth member, Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas, chose not to self-quarantine after consulting with doctors. Gohmert said he was "in close proximity" to the indiividual, but doctors said the contact wasn't significant and he was clearned to return to Washington. Collins said he has not been told if others at the CPAC conference will be forced to self-quarantine.
During a news conference Monday afternoon, Gov. Brian Kemp said 34 Georgians aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship, docked in California, will be processed through Dobbins Air Reserve Base before being allowed to go home for self-quarantine. At least 21 people on the cruise ship have been diagnosed with the disease.
Kemp said six confirmed cases have been diagnosed in Georgia. Three of the cases are related to travel to Italy. The sources of the other three diagnoses are unknown. In addition, 11 cases are considered “presumptive cases,” meaning they have been diagnosed by health officials, but not yet confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
One of the presumptive cases is a South Korean, who officials at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport noticed has symptoms of the illness when he got off a flight from Inchon to Atlanta. Kemp said it was not known if the person was symptomatic when he boarded the flight.
Collins, who was interviewed after the governor’s news conference, had praise for the job Kemp and his Coronavirus task force has done.
“I think the governor is taking very seriously,” Collins said. “I applaud the direction of the task force. We are doing the very best we can, taking it day by day. … The public health system in Georgia is well set to monitor these people and react appropriately.
Collins said $8 billion appropriated last week by Congress will help states in the fight against the virus. But he urged residents to do their part, as well. Stay calm and take proper precautions, he said.
“There is no need to panic,” Collins said. “Wash your hands, like your mother taught you to do. Stay home if you are sick. The same things we go through with cold season, flu season, we should be doing now.”
Statistics from the CDC show that nearly 97 percent of people who contract the virus will survive, and most of them will only have mild symptoms.
“The vast majority of people will be fine,” he said. “This is something we can get through.”
Collins was headed back to Washington on Monday when he got the call about the virus. The self-quarantine has upended his schedule that included his work in the U.S. House, as well as preparations for his Senate run. Yet he took his self-imposed vacation in stride.
“I have not been at home for three or four days straight in about two months,” he said. “So I’m not sure what my wife will have for me to do. I can’t use the excuse that I’m sick, because I’m not.”
