Fourth Arizona Lawmaker Tests Positive for COVID-19

Another Arizona legislator is recovering from the virus after being put on a ventilator.

PHOENIX (AP) — State Rep. Raquel Terán said Saturday she has tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the fourth Arizona legislator known to have been infected with the coronavirus.

The first-term Democrat whose district includes parts of Glendale and Phoenix said she was quarantining at home with her husband, Eddie Barron, who also tested positive, and their young son. Test results for the son hadn’t come back yet, according to the lawmaker’s statement.

Terán and her husband on Oct. 17 visited “close family members” who later tested positive, the statement said.

Terán said she hadn’t experienced symptoms but that Barron began to feel symptoms on Friday and visited an emergency room.

“Like so many in our community, we want to be close to the ones we love. We miss them and we want to see them. We take extensive precautions when we go out, we wear masks, we keep our distance and we wash our hands, but we let our guard down with family,” Terán said. “COVID-19 is highly contagious and cases are on the rise again.”

“Listen to the experts and scientists, and make sure if you think you’ve been exposed that you get tested immediately,” she added.

Rep. Lorenzo Sierra, D-Avondale, recently returned to Arizona after being hospitalized and put on a ventilator for treatment of COVID-19 on the East Coast where he and his wife were visiting family.

State Sen. Lupe Contreras, D-Avondale, and Rep. Joanne Osborne, R-Goodyear, previously tested positive.

The Arizona Legislature cut short its 2020 regular session last spring because of the pandemic. With no indication currently that there will be a special session in the meantime, lawmakers are scheduled to next convene in January to begin their 2021 regular session.

Most people experience mild or moderate symptoms with the coronavirus, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.

READ MORE: Students Log Back on to Remote Learning as Some Arizona Schools Close for Outbreaks