DOUBLE DOWN

Ted Cruz Extends Self-Quarantine After Another Exposure to Someone With Coronavirus

Just before his quarantine drew to an end, Cruz says he found out a far-right Spanish politician, who he’d also met with, has tested positive.

On Thursday afternoon, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) was getting excited about the prospect of having a nice family dinner at the end of a period of self-quarantine he put himself under after he found out he’d been exposed to someone who tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Unfortunately, just before the quarantine drew to an end, Cruz found out he’d been in contact with another person who has also tested positive, so he’s been forced to extend his period of self-isolation for another four days. Cruz said in a statement that he’d recently spent 20 minutes in the company of Santiago Abascal—the leader of the far-right Vox party in Spain—who confirmed his diagnosis Thursday. “My self-quarantine ended yesterday afternoon,” wrote Cruz. “I still have no symptoms and feel fine, and I was looking forward to taking my family out to dinner tonight. Unfortunately, last night I was informed I had a second interaction with an individual who yesterday tested positive for COVID-19.” Cruz will now remain in quarantine until March 17.