NC legislators who took hunting trip test positive for COVID; Cawthorn tests negative
Two North Carolina state legislators have tested positive for the coronavirus in the past two days.
Rep. Brian Turner, a Democrat from Asheville, announced he tested positive for COVID-19 Monday. And on Tuesday morning, Sen. Bill Rabon, a Republican from Winnabow, said he also tested positive.
Rep. Jason Saine, a Republican from Lincolnton, confirmed both Turner and Rabon were on a duck hunting trip over the weekend with other lawmakers including himself. Other Republicans on the trip included Sen. Jim Perry of Kinston, Rep. John Bell of Goldsboro, Rep. Bobby Hanig of Powells Point and a member of Congress, first-term U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn.
Cawthorn, Bell and Perry have all been tested for the virus. Bell and Perry tested negative, they said. Cawthorn, too, tested negative, according his spokesman, Micah Bock, who had said the congressman did not show signs of having the virus but received a test Tuesday.
Saine said he was never within 6 feet of Turner or Rabon. Saine is not symptomatic and has not been tested, he said.
In a press release, Rabon said he was experiencing cold-like symptoms Monday and got a test, but was not experiencing symptoms as of Tuesday.
Turner was not present for the opening day of North Carolina’s legislative session Wednesday, he said. Rabon was.
Lawmakers are not required to wear masks in the Legislative Building, though the majority wore them during the session last week. Some took them off to speak, however.
Both legislators said they’ve reached out to people they’ve been in close contact with.
“These are some of the hardest phone calls I have ever had to make,” Turner wrote in a Facebook post. “No one wants to be responsible for exposing someone to a potentially deadly disease.”
Isolation, quarantine
If his cold-like symptoms improve, Turner said he plans to return to the General Assembly on Jan. 27, when the House session convenes.
As of Jan. 17, North Carolina reported more than 674,000 COVID-19 cases with about 10% of tests coming back positive. More than 8,000 people have died, according to state health officials. The state did not update its coronavirus dashboard Monday due to the state holiday.
Turner said he will isolate from his family for the next 10 days and they will quarantine for two weeks. He’s had headaches, fatigue and congestion, but has not had a fever or lost his smell or taste, he said.
Turner and his family have been doing their best to stay at home as much as possible and there was no specific event or travel where he thinks he would’ve been exposed, he said. Turner has been an advocate for wearing face masks, washing hands and social distancing throughout the pandemic.
“The 3Ws work, but they work best when everyone does it,” Turner said in his post. “My mask protects you, your mask protects me.”
Danny Britt, a Republican N.C. state senator, tested positive for coronavirus last summer. Some Republican members of U.S. Congress from North Carolina, including Sen. Thom Tillis and Rep. Ted Budd, also tested positive for COVID-19 last year.
This story was originally published January 18, 2021 at 7:07 PM.
