HALL COUNTY, Ga. — Georgia Rep. Doug Collins said he’s feeling fine after putting himself into self-quarantine over fears of COVID-19, the coronavirus.
Collins was exposed to a coronavirus patient while attending CPAC, a conservative conference in Maryland, last month.
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Channel 2 political reporter Richard Elliot spoke with Collins via FaceTime on Tuesday.
“I’m feeling really well, thanks for asking,” Collins said from his home in Hall County.
Collins said going into self-quarantine was the right thing to do despite feeling healthy.
“We just wanted to make sure that we took that extra precaution because we are a public official, and we want to make sure that people have confidence that we’re following the same protocols that we tell everybody else to follow,” Collins said.
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Elliot was at Dobbins Air Reserve Base on Friday as Collins greeted President Donald Trump and shook his hand as Trump got off Air Force One to visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Collins says he immediately notified the White House when he learned he had come in contact with the coronavirus victim.
Because Collins is showing no symptoms, the people he’s had contact with are not required to get tested.
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At the capitol Tuesday, Georgia House Speaker David Ralston said he was concerned enough about the coronavirus that he temporarily stopped the page program at the Capitol and will limit the number of guests on the House floor.
Elliot asked him if there’s been talk of suspending the session for a time, but he said, not yet.
“We want to continue to go as long as we believe it’s safe, and so I think these measures will promote it, a more safe environment here,” Ralston said.
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The House speaker is not closing the gallery but he’s encouraging people to watch the proceedings online at home.
The ACLU issued a statement saying it will be watching closely to “make sure the government’s response is scientifically justified and no more intrusive on civil liberties than absolutely necessary.”
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