The Rundown

Three more Ohio lawmakers test positive for COVID-19 in past week

By: - December 22, 2020 6:13 pm

The Ohio Statehouse. Photo by Jake Zuckerman, Ohio Capital Journal.

A trio of state legislators have tested positive for COVID-19, each announced, bringing the total to more than a dozen so far in 2020.

Democratic Reps. Michele Lepore-Hagan of Youngstown and Casey Weinstein of Hudson announced their positive tests on Tuesday. Republican Rep. Jon Cross of Kenton announced his last Friday.

In a statement, Lepore-Hagan said she decided to get tested last week “after being in close proximity to an umber of Republican Ohio House members who showed symptoms and refused to wear masks or observe social distancing protocols.”

The lawmaker said she is asymptomatic and is quarantining at home.

Weinstein announced his positive test on social media and said he has “mild symptoms.”

Cross too announced his test on social media, saying he planned to rest and recover at home during the holidays.

A total of 14 lawmakers from both parties and legislative chambers have tested positive during 2020, including seven in December.

Around 5% of all Ohioans have tested positive this year, compared to more than 10% of lawmakers who now have. The Ohio Capital Journal has previously reported on two other lawmakers who were hospitalized this month with the virus.

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Tyler Buchanan
Tyler Buchanan

Tyler Buchanan is an award-winning journalist who has covered Ohio politics and government for the past decade. A Bellevue native and graduate of Bowling Green State University, he most recently spent 6 1/2 years as a reporter and editor of The Athens Messenger and Vinton-Jackson Courier newspapers. He is a member of the BG News Alumni Society Board and was a 2019 fellow in the Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism.

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