Three American governors. Four United States senators. At least a dozen members of the House of Representatives. The mayor of Miami. The mayor of Atlanta. A judge in Luzerne County, Pa.
And now, the president of the United States.
Across the country, scores of elected officials at all levels of government have experienced the alarming moment of finding out that they have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Their diagnoses raised all sorts of pressing questions about their health, and the well-being of those around them. But for many politicians, living through the virus has also been a turning point, forcing them to re-examine their own views on the pandemic that has shaken their governments and sickened their constituents.
“We are not taking this seriously enough,” said Kevin Brooks, the mayor of Cleveland, Tenn., who spent 11 days in a hospital, sweating through his clothes in unbearable pain. After his release from the hospital in July, he recorded a video extolling the value of face masks.
