Mississippi's lieutenant governor Delbert Hosemann (R) tests positive for coronavirus

Mississippi Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann (R) has tested positive for the coronavirus, staff members confirmed to several local media outlets.

"Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann has informed members of the Senate he tested positive for COVID-19 and will follow State Health Department guidelines by self-quarantining and working at home," Leah Rupp Smith, Hosemann's deputy chief of staff, told the Clarion Ledger.

Gov. Tate Reeves (R) announced earlier Tuesday that he and his daughters tested negative for the virus.

House Speaker Philip Gunn (R) announced on Sunday that he tested positive for the virus, along with another member of the Mississippi legislature, who he didn't identify.

“ We need to make sure that we do everything we can to get this past us as quickly as possible,” Gunn said.

The lawmakers’s diagnosis comes after Mississippi lawmakers met for much of June, not always following the guidance of public health officials such as wearing masks and not sitting in close proximity, as they discussed the ultimately successful proposal to remove the Confederate battle flag from the state flag.

As of Tuesday, 31,028 people have tested positive for the virus and 1,096 have died in Mississippi, according to the state department of health.

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