This Republican scoffed at COVID-19. His positive test closed California’s Senate

Spoiler alert: State Sen. Brian Jones, R-Santee, tested positive for the coronavirus last week.

His confirmed infection forced a temporary shutdown of the California State Senate. And then every Republican senator except one got temporarily banished from the Capitol to protect public health.

We don’t know how many people Jones may have exposed. His positive test raised worries about the safety of his 69-year-old Sacramento housemate, Republican Assemblyman Randy Voepel of Santee. On Thursday, Voepel said he would remain in quarantine to “keep myself and my colleagues safe.” Later, his office said he had tested negative.

Jones’ irresponsible behavior created the potential for catastrophe in the California State Legislature. A review of Jones’ social media feeds reveals that he did everything to contract the virus — and to possibly infect others. His infection was simply a logical conclusion to his spree of wanton COVID-19 carelessness.

On July 4, for example, Jones attended a “freedom feast” at a San Diego church. The event, a protest against California’s ban on indoor church services, included an indoor meal service. Photos on Jones’ Instagram account show him interacting, face to face and without a mask, with an elderly man. In another photo, churchgoers line up at an indoor buffet. Jones is the only person not wearing a mask.

On July 25, Jones attended a “Back the Badge” rally in El Cajon. Jones’ photos show him standing shoulder to shoulder, unmasked, with two other men. Another photo shows dozens of people — mostly unmasked — crowded together for a group photo. Jones grins, giving the thumbs-up sign.

Jones has made a point of trumpeting his opposition to California’s COVID-19 safety measures. Mocking Gov. Gavin Newsom as “King Gavin Newsom,” Jones has rehashed Trump-style talking points, downplaying the danger. On Aug. 17, he took to Twitter to bizarrely suggest that hospitals might be inflating COVID-19 deaths for money.

Jones isn’t the only member of the California Republican Caucus who apparently disregarded safety rules. Other Republican senators had to be quarantined — and banned from in-person voting — after attending a group dinner with the infected Jones.

In a twist, Jones and his fellow GOP senators could be forced to vote remotely despite the fact that Jones previously blasted remote voting as “unconstitutional.” And though we do not lack for examples of Jones’ peculiar blend of hypocrisy and stupidity, we should note that he also serves on the state senate’s Special Committee on Pandemic Emergency Response.

COVID-19 has killed nearly 13,000 Californians. The total death toll for Americans has reached 181,000. Much of this death might have been avoided if Republican leaders in both Washington and California had acted responsibly. Instead, they denied science and pretended as if the virus would magically disappear.

The Macmillan Dictionary defines a “covidiot” as “one who ignores health advice about COVID-19.” But Jones doesn’t need to look in a dictionary to know this word’s meaning. He can simply look in a mirror.

Jones should feel deep, burning shame for the way his irresponsible behavior has endangered others. Now that his positive coronavirus test has turned him into a cautionary tale, he must take the pandemic threat seriously.

This story was originally published August 28, 2020 at 5:00 AM.