Fla. Sen. Rick Scott quarantining out of ‘abundance of caution’

Florida senator said he came into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., takes off his mask before he speaks to the media after a campaign rally for Republican candidates for U.S. Senate Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Sen. David Perdue on Friday, Nov. 13, 2020, in Cumming, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) (Brynn Anderson, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – After returning to Florida from a rally in Georgia for two Republican senate candidates, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., announced on Twitter that he began quarantining after he came in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.

Scott, who wrote that he has no symptoms, said it was after he arrived in Florida on Friday night that he had been possibly exposed to the virus.

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He tweeted that he was tested Saturday morning and was negative.

The Florida senator had returned from a campaign rally in Cumming, Ga., for Republican candidates for U.S. Senate Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Sen. David Perdue on Friday night.

The announcement came just two days after Scott sent a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar, as well as all 50 Governors, requesting information on the status of the cost efficient and, what he stated, were widely-available rapid coronavirus tests that the federal government has distributed to all states.

“Testing is key to reopening the United States and ending the coronavirus pandemic,” he said. Scott added that the reason he sent the inquiry was that he “wants to ensure every effort is being made to provide accessible tests for Americans.”

Read the letter by clicking here.

On Saturday, Florida reported an increase of 4,544 COVID-19 cases, as well as 44 more resident deaths as a result of the virus. Florida is now up to 875,096 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 17,489 resident deaths, according to the health department’s dashboard.

Related links

List of cases by city in South Florida

Find a COVID-19 testing site near you

Hospital bed capacity and availability

Coronavirus cases in Florida schools

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