WASHINGTON — Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Paul Gosar on Sunday said they would self-quarantine after interacting with a person at a conservative conference who has tested positive for the coronavirus — making the pair the first known members of Congress to have possibly come into contact with the rapidly spreading virus. 

Cruz, an outspoken Republican who ran for president in 2016, said the interaction happened at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland. The Texas Republican said in a statement that he shook hands with the individual and had a brief conversation. 

“I am not experiencing any symptoms and I feel fine and healthy,” Cruz said, explaining that the interaction lasted “less than a minute” and medical professionals he’s consulted have told him the “odds of transmission from the other individual to me were extremely low. 

Gosar, an Arizona Republican, said he was with the “individual for an extended period of time, and we shook hands several times.” He said while he was not experiencing any symptoms, he along with three senior members of his office staff would be self-quarantining themselves. 

Gosar said he would also close his Washington office “out of an abundance of caution.”  

More: Rep. Paul Gosar, staff to self-quarantine after contact with coronavirus patient

Cruz, in his statement, said physicians have advised that others who he’s interacted with “should not be concerned about potential transmission.” But, Cruz added, he notified Vice President Mike Pence, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the president’s new Chief of Staff Rep. Mark Meadows, high profile figures who also attended the annual conference. 

Cruz said out of an abundance of caution he would also quartine and planned to stay home in Texas until a full 14 days have passed since the interaction. The conference ran from Feb. 26-29. 

On Saturday, the American Conservative Union announced in a statement that one of the attendees at CPAC had tested positive for COVID-19. Trump and Pence both spoke at the event.

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The group said the man, a New Jersey resident, was exposed to the virus before the conference, where he “had no interaction with the President or Vice President.” The White House said Saturday that there was no indication Pence or Trump had been in “close proximity” to the man.

After hearing of the news, Trump on Saturday said he was not worried by the arrival of the coronavirus in the Washington area. 

“No, I’m not concerned at all,” Trump told reporters Saturday when asked if he was troubled by the cases around Washington. “No, we’ve done a great job with it.” 

The president, speaking at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, insisted that the spreading virus will not stop him from campaigning and vowed to continue to “have tremendous rallies.” 

He touted his administration’s response to the virus, which Democrats have sharply criticized, saying, “We’ve done a fantastic job.” The president made the remarks before a dinner at the resort with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. 

On Sunday, the virus continued its deadly reach across the U.S. as the number of fatalities climbed to 21, with 537 confirmed cases across 34 states and the District of Columbia.

All but three of the deaths have been in Washington state; two were in Florida and one in California. The virus has surged in the U.S. in the last week: The second American died March 1, just hours after the World Health Organization had reported 62 confirmed U.S. cases. There were 117 new cases announced on Saturday alone.

Contributing: William Cummings and John Bacon, USA TODAY

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