Not less than 38 Capitol Law enforcement officials and 150 Nationwide Guard members have suffered COVID-19 following the riot within the Capitol

“I think you have to expect this to be another surge event. They had largely exposed people who were all throughout the Capitol,” said former director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Robert Redfield, in an interview earlier this month.

According to The New York TimesThe new cases on the Capitol Police mark the highest increase in the armed forces in months. Gus Papathanasiou, chairman of the U.S. Capitol Police Labor Committee, said union members have been pushing for COVID-19 security measures since March 2020 and officials are constantly at risk of exposure if they put their lives at risk.

“The union had urged the department for testing and recently for vaccines, but the incompetence of former and current USCP police chiefs towards the new incumbent chief and deputy chiefs speaks volumes to the lack of leadership at the top of the USCP,” Papathanasiou said in a statement sent by email DCist / WAMU. “The ongoing systemic failure of this department is unacceptable, and the congressional community and officials who risk their lives every day deserve better than to be led by incompetent police chiefs.”

After criticizing the lack of preparation for the riots and the poor leadership, Steven Sund, the chief of the Capitol Police at the time of the riots resigned. Yogananda Pittman was named acting chief and became the first woman and first black officer to lead the force, DCist / WAMU reported.

At least next to the police and national security eight members of Congress including representatives Pramila Jayapal and Bonnie Watson Coleman also tested positive after the attack.

Members of Congress were forced to seek refuge together during the attack for security reasons, prompting many Republicans to be criticized for refusing to or wearing no mask while taking refuge in groups.

“After Wednesday’s events, including staying with several colleagues who refused to wear masks, I opted for a Covid test. I tested positive,” Rep. Coleman tweeted Jan. 11. Reports of the incident revealed that at least six House Republicans refused to wear masks or ignored safety instructions to do so during the riot.

A memo was also released to Capitol staff and lawmakers regarding possible COVID-19 exposure. CNN reported. “On Wednesday, January 6th, many members of the household were in (a) room in a large committee hearing room in protective isolation. The time in this room was several hours for some and less for others. During this time, individuals were exposed to another inmate with coronavirus infection, “wrote Dr. Brian P. Monahan in the memo posted Jan. 10.

Statistics from the DC Police Department confirmed that not only members of Congress, the National Guard, and the Capitol Police tested positive for COVID-19, but at least 82 members of the DC Police Department as well. The Washington Post reported. The department cannot confirm whether the positive tests were due to work during the Capitol Riots, as officials continued to work in the city after the incident.

The majority of maskless people who chose to engage in violence on January 6th included at least 30 police officers from 12 different states. Daily Kos reported. With these people returning home across the country after their failed coup, COVID-19 cases are expected to rise. According to The Washington PostFederal officials estimated that about 800 rioters broke into the Capitol on Jan. 6.