Rep. Gwen Moore to Vote by Proxy After Voting in Person Following Positive COVID-19 Test

Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) speaks in Milwaukee, Wis., on Aug. 17, 2020. (Morry Gash/Pool/Getty Images)

Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) will vote by proxy, she said Thursday, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I am unable to physically attend proceedings in the House chamber due to the ongoing public health emergency,” Moore said in a letter to House clerk Cheryl Johnson, designating Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) as her proxy.

House rules enable representatives to vote without being present in the chamber provided they notify the clerk and designate a representative who will be present to announce how they want to vote.

Moore traveled to Washington Jan. 3 to vote for the House speaker position, just six days after testing positive for COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people quarantine at minimum for seven days after testing positive.

Unless people get a negative test, they should quarantine for at least 10 days, the health agency recommends.

Moore said in a tweet that she was medically cleared to travel. She told reporters she didn’t get a negative test.

Moore was in Washington on Jan. 13, voting in person to impeach President Donald Trump.

Moore’s office hasn’t responded to requests for comment.

Dozens of representatives have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, since early 2020. Four members tested positive after the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress, where lawmakers were in close proximity for hours after protesters stormed the Capitol building.