Capitol physician urges telework, medical-grade masks as Omicron surges
The Omicron variant of COVID-19 has driven up case counts across the US, and not even the Capitol is immune from the outbreak.
In a memo to lawmakers Monday, Capitol attending physician Brian Monahan called for a return to “maximal telework” due to a surge in cases that saw the seven-day average positivity rate at the building’s testing center jump from under 1 percent to more than 13 percent.
The doctor added that mask-wearing in the Capitol was a “critical necessity” and only a “properly fitted, medical-grade, filtration face mask” would do.
“Blue surgical masks, cloth face masks and gaiter masks must be replaced by the more protective KN95 or N95 masks,” Monahan specified.
At least 12 members of Congress have tested positive for COVID-19 since mid-December, with all saying they were experiencing mild or no symptoms.
In his Monday memo, Monahan said 65 percent of those who tested positive for COVID-19 were symptomatic. He added that “most” were breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated people, but did not give a precise figure.
Monahan noted that breakthrough cases “have not led to hospitalizations, serious complications, or deaths, attesting to the value of coronavirus vaccinations.”
“The effectiveness of booster vaccinations in raising protection from infection is substantial, even for omicron variant coronavirus,” he continued, though he later warned that “protection against symptomatic infection provided by the vaccine booster is now under study in several nations and repeat boosters may be necessary among high-risk groups such as health care personnel.”
Monahan also urged all memo recipients to comply with the latest CDC isolation recommendations if they test positive in an effort to prevent more serious cases, noting that the Omicron variant has led to “increased rates of pediatric hospitalizations.”
The attending physician also urged “Congressional offices, Committees, and Agencies” to “reduce in-person meetings and in-office activities to the maximum extent possible. Electronic means to facilitate all-virtual or hybrid-type meetings or hearings should be emphasized.”
It was not immediately clear whether Monahan’s memo would lead to any policy changes. House members are currently required to wear masks in the chamber unless speaking during debate. The Senate has no such requirement.
At the start of the pandemic, the House implemented a number of new policies in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19, including proxy voting, longer vote times, mask mandates and more offices adopting work-from-home policies for their staff.
Some House Republicans have chafed at the mask mandate, with lawmakers including Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia racking up thousands of dollars in fines for defying it.
