California State Capitol Closes After Assemblymember Autumn Burke, 4 Other Employees Test Positive For Coronavirus
INGLEWOOD (CBSLA) -- The State Capitol is closing its doors after several Assembly employees have tested positive for coronavirus, officials said.
Assemblymember Autumn Burke (D-Inglewood) shared Monday on Twitter that she was one of the individuals who tested positive.
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon's office separately confirmed that four other employees who work in the state Assembly have been diagnosed with coronavirus, indefinitely delaying the Assembly's plans to return to work from a scheduled summer recess.
Rendon said in a statement that the Assembly, which closed its doors for two months earlier this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, will remain in recess until further notice.
"We have taken this decision, as we did in March, to protect members, staff and the public from exposure, and it comes in light of recent news of positive coronavirus tests in the Capitol," Rendon said.
According to Burke's tweet on Monday, she was told she contracted the virus from "mask to mask" exposure.
"On July 3rd I received a call from the Assembly Human Resources Department that I had a 'mask to mask' exposure to COVID-19 on June 26th," the tweet read. "I was tested on the morning of July 4th and received my results in the evening that I had tested positive for the coronavirus."
She continued, "Currently, my daughter and I have no symptoms, but will be remaining in quarantine until released by a doctor. Thank you to everyone who has reached out with well wishes. We are fine, but it is of the utmost importance that everyone stay safe, be healthy & remain vigilant."
Burke also spoke out in an interview with CBS2 on Monday, saying she was careful when around people but still managed to get exposed.
"As someone who most people think of as being very, very careful, I was shocked, disappointed and honestly heartbroken," Burke said. "We have not been around very many people, but the very few people that are the closest people in our lives, we have struggled to be able to get them checked. And for us, that has been emotionally the most gutwrenching thing."
Burke said she was wearing a mask around the person she later learned was infected with coronavirus but she was not practicing physical distancing.
While she is not experiencing any symptoms, she is still urging others to take coronavirus guidelines seriously in an effort to protect themselves and their loved ones.
"The heartbreaking feeling that you will feel when you know you have affected somebody and put their life in jeopardy, it will destroy you. It will break your heart," Burke said.
