JUNEAU (AP) — Two Alaska state senators have tested positive for COVID-19 and a third was not feeling well, Senate President Peter Micciche said Tuesday.
The senators who tested positive are Republicans David Wilson, of Wasilla, and Lora Reinbold, of Eagle River, according to the Anchorage Daily News.
Reinbold has been the Legislature’s loudest critic of masking, testing and vaccinations during the pandemic.
Sen. Click Bishop, of Fairbanks, said he is feeling ill but has tested negative for COVID-19 and believes he has a cold or the flu, the newspaper reported.
Lawmakers are in the second week of their fourth special session of the year in Juneau. Six of the Senate’s 20 members attended Tuesday’s floor session, which was a so-called technical session where no formal business was taken up.
Members have not taken any action during the special session.
The governor called legislators back to work in his push for a larger Permanent Fund dividend and a long-term, sustainable fiscal plan for the state, though he has offered no specific legislation to balance spending and revenues.
Micciche said along with the COVID-19 cases some senators were out of town and unable to be in Juneau on Tuesday, prompting the technical session. The Senate is not scheduled to meet again until Friday.
Masks are required at legislative facilities, including the Capitol, though individual lawmakers can decide if they want to wear masks in their respective offices. Legislators and legislative staff also are to participate in regular COVID-19 testing under a recently adopted policy, but there is no enforcement.
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