Columbus area Congressman self-quarantines due to possible coronavirus exposure
The Congressman representing the northern part of the Columbus area has self-quarantined amid the coronavirus pandemic.
U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson, R-Ga., of Troup County, released the following announcement Wednesday night on his Facebook page:
“Today, the Attending Physician of the United States Congress informed me that I was in contact with a member of Congress on March 13th that has since tested positive for COVID-19,” he wrote. “After heeding the advice of the President, Governor Kemp and at the direction of the House physician, I will self-quarantine until March 27th. I am asymptomatic and will continue to work from my home in West Point, Ga.”
Because the incubation period for COVID-19 is believed to be 14 days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that’s how long people with suspected exposure to coronavirus have been separating themselves from others.
Wednesday night, the Georgia Department of Public Health announced the state’s fourth death from COVID-19. out of 197 confirmed cases as of noon Wednesday.
Troup’s two cases are the closest to Columbus on the Georgia side of the Chattahoochee River, but Lee County in Alabama had eight confirmed cases as of Wednesday.
Ferguson was first elected to represent the 3rd Congressional District of Georgia in 2016. He previously served as the mayor and an alderman in West Point, where he established a family dental practice.
