Politics

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski tests positive for COVID

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Monday morning that she tested positive for COVID-19.

The Republican senator said in a Twitter post that she tested positive after experiencing flu-like symptoms.

“I will be following guidance and advice from doctors and will be quarantining at home in Alaska while continuing my work remotely,” she said.

Murkowski is vaccinated against the virus.

She has also been campaigning for reelection in November and participated in events in Fairbanks over the weekend.

Murkowski campaign spokesperson Shea Siegert said the campaign is reaching out to close contacts from those events, including a campaign office launch where Murkowski was photographed hugging supporters while unmasked.

[Hospital capacity and sick friends: Alaskans rely on new signals to gauge COVID-19 risk]

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Murkowski was originally scheduled to campaign next weekend in Haines. Siegert said campaign staff who test negative for the virus would travel to Haines as scheduled, but Murkowski’s participation “is questionable.”

Murkowski’s positive test follows U.S. President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 diagnosis last week. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) also tested positive for the virus Monday.

Murkowski is a key player in several potential upcoming votes in Congress, including for same-sex marriage protections, as the Senate approaches its August recess.

Nationally, COVID-19 cases have surged this summer as the BA.5 variant has become the most dominant strain in the country.

Daily News reporter Iris Samuels contributed.

Riley Rogerson

Riley Rogerson is a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News based in Washington, D.C., and is a fellow with Report for America. Contact her at rrogerson@adn.com.

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