Montana lawmaker tests positive for COVID-19

A Montana state lawmaker who has been in the Capitol during the first four days of the Legislative session has tested positive for COVID-19.

State Rep. David Bedey, a Republican from Hamilton, tested positive and is quarantining away from the Capitol, according to a statement late Thursday from Sen. Jason Ellsworth, the presumptive chair of the COVID-19 response panel that is set to hold its first meeting Friday.

The Legislature convened Monday. The session is being held under a hybrid model with remote participation because of the pandemic, though nearly all of the 98 Republicans out of the 150 lawmakers have been in the building all week. Some Democrats are attending in person, while others are participating over online platforms.

Bedey is asymptotic and "came into contact with the virus via a non-legislative, non-Capitol contact that occurred prior to the start of the session," according to a press release from Kyle Schmauch, a spokesperson for the Senate Republican caucus. Bedey is the only know lawmaker who has been at the Capitol since the start of the session to test positive for the virus.

Read more: https://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/montana-lawmaker-tests-positive-for-covid-19/article_44d2018c-e2b5-5b7c-82ee-85381038bfe8.html