Ted Cruz self-quarantines after shaking hands with coronavirus patient

Ted Cruz.
(Image credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) will spend the next week self-quarantined at his home in Texas, following a "brief interaction" with a person at the Conservative Political Action Conference who has tested positive for the new COVID-19 coronavirus.

On Sunday, Cruz said he shook hands and had a short conversation with the person 10 days ago, and he was notified of their diagnosis on Saturday night. The average incubation period is five to six days, and Cruz said he is not experiencing any symptoms and was told by medical officials it is unlikely he contracted the virus.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.