The United States’ Senator Rand Paul confirmed on Sunday that he has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) becoming the first U.S. Senator to do so.

Paul said that he had not exhibited any symptoms and
had not been in contact with any known carriers of the novel coronavirus but was tested out of an “abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events”.

Posting on Twitter, the Kentucky Republican said:
Senator Rand Paul has tested positive for COVID-19. He is feeling fine and is in quarantine.

The Senator’s office began operating remotely ten days ago, so it affirmed that “virtually no staff” had been in contact with him.

New York state on Friday had nearly 16,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, up from 5,100 while the United States has more than 33,000 confirmed cases, with more than 400 confirmed deaths, 117 of them in New York state.

Meanwhile, health experts have indicated that the coronavirus can remain viable and infectious in droplets in the air for hours and on surfaces up to days.-VOA