Philip Gunn: Mississippi House Speaker Tests Positive For Coronavirus

Mississippi House Speaker, Philip Gunn, has announced on Facebook that he tested positive for the coronavirus. 

He said, "Last week I was in close proximity to an individual, one of our House members who has tested positive, so I felt like I needed to go get myself tested just because I had been near that person and this morning was informed that I too have tested positive for COVID."

Gunn said that he was asymptomatic but would be going into isolation at the advice of the state health officer, Dr. Dobbs.

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He added, “I am going to self-quarantine for the requisite amount of time and going to do all that Dr. Dobbs has advised me to do.

“We need to make sure that we do everything we can to get this past us as quickly as possible."

The result of Gunn led to other members of the House taking precautions, as the Deputy Chief of Staff to Gov. Delbert Hosemann, Leah Rupp Smith said, “A staff member has tested positive, and is now under quarantine. Senators and staff have been notified, and we are following instructions from the state Health Officer.”

Prior to the news of Gunn's infection, State Health Officer, Thomas Dobbs, had said that an investigation into a possible outbreak within the Mississippi Legislature had begun.

The Mississippi State Medical Association's (MSMA) head, Dr. Jennifer Bryan, said, “Dr. Dobbs spoke remotely via Zoom to the Mississippi State Medical Association physicians and indicated MSDH is investigating a possible contact within the Mississippi Legislature.

“Our legislators visit within their communities a significant amount and this is not entirely unexpected. We hope that this will be a limited situation, but the investigation is ongoing.”