By Mario Lotmore | Lynnwood Times Staff
January 1, 2021 – For U.S. Congressman Rick Larsen (WA-2), 2021 is off to a good start. On December 22, Larsen entered self-quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19. Today, he announced on social media that he is “out of COVID jail.”
During quarantine, Larsen voted by proxy on the CASH Act to increase stimulus checks to $2,000 for Americans. The bipartisan vote passed 275 yeas to 134 nays in the U.S. House of Representatives but is currently held up in the U.S. Senate.
Larsen also voted to overturn President Donald Trump’s veto of the $740 billion dollar National Defense Authorization Act. The bipartisan vote passed the necessary two-third threshold in both the House (322 yeas to 87 nays) and Senate (81 yeas to 13 nays) to overturn the veto.
Christmas during isolation humbled the congressman by the well-wishes of support from constituents.
“I have many blessings,” Larsen shared in his Christmas Day twitter post. “I thank all of you who gave me good wishes. Your support is humbling. It is also a reminder of those who don’t have it as good as I have it. When I’m done with isolation, I’ll be back at work looking out for those who have less.”
Besides voting on legislation via proxy, Larsen coped with his 10-days in self-quarantine by becoming a pseudo-birder. From a window overlooking his back yard, Larsen observed 15 bird species: Northern Flicker, female American Goldfish and a white-throated Sparrow just to name a few. He also, shared his support to the opening of the new Mukilteo Ferry Terminal which he helped coordinate with state, local partners, including tribes, to make it a reality.
In today’s announcement Larsen stated he is fortunate to be asymptomatic but reminded us to continue taking the virus seriously, mask up and be considerate of others as many have succumbed to COVID-19.
“In the last 10 days, 25,228 people have died in the U.S. from COVID-19; 316 in Washington state. In the last 10 days, the U.S. has seen 1,927,988 new cases; 19,730 in our state. Is there good news? Rates of infection dropped from 64.7/100k to 54.4/100k in the U.S.; in our state, rates dropped from 42.8/100k to 22.8/100k.
“The virus can seem random, but it isn’t. It is true that it can reach anyone, but we know wearing a mask and practicing social distancing reduces the virus’ reach. Science does not guarantee 100% protection. I am proof of that…
“Yet, the numbers would be much higher if we did not follow CDC guidelines. Many have avoided exposure because they did the right thing. And a few of us, but only a few, got COVID-19 while doing the right thing. The odds are still in doing the right thing. So let’s keep it up…
“Get in line for vaccination and continue to consider the impact of our actions on others. We can beat it together.”
