December 19, 2020 - 12:56 PM
MONROE, La. - Louisiana’s newest member of Congress was admitted to a hospital for monitoring on Saturday, one day after announcing that he had been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Republican Rep.-elect Luke Letlow was admitted as a precaution, spokesman Andrew Bautsch told The News-Star. Bautsch also is fighting the disease, the newspaper said.
Letlow, who is from the northeast Louisiana town of Start, was elected earlier this month to the 5th District seat representing northeast and central Louisiana. He is scheduled to be sworn in next month.
He had announced Friday that he had been infected by the coronavirus and was quarantining at home.
Letlow was the third high-profile Louisiana politician in two days to say he had been infected. Democratic U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, who is leaving to become a member of President-elect Joe Biden's White House staff, and Republican Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser both said Thursday that they had tested positive for the virus.
Richmond will be a senior adviser to the president and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.
Two Republicans in Louisiana's congressional delegation — U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy and U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson — have publicly said they’ve recovered from the disease.
News from © The Associated Press, 2020