This Texas rep postponed her wedding and got COVID. Here's why she's staying in D.C.
AUSTIN, Texas (KTRK) -- Texas Democrats said they will continue to stay in Washington D.C. after many fled there in effort to break quorum rather than participating in a special legislative session.
But now, those lawmakers are faced with a major pandemic-related obstacle.
Officials confirmed that five Democrats who traveled by plane from Austin to D.C. tested positive for COVID-19 just days after the trip.
SEE ALSO: 5 Texas House Democrats test positive for COVID-19 in D.C.
ABC13 spoke with one of the five who said she started experiencing symptoms of the illness on Friday night.
"I honestly thought I just had a cold," Texas Representative Celia Israel said. "Cause, I'm fully vaccinated. I had the Pfizer vaccine earlier this year. So, I had aches, loss of appetite and a slight fever."
Israel said on Saturday morning before the group started their meetings, she took a rapid test which immediately came back positive.
Receiving the news she tested positive wasn't the only adversity she said she faced in regard to the trip to D.C.
Before leaving for Austin, Israel said she and her colleagues were all sacrificing something from their personal life to take the trip.
Israel and her partner were set to tie the knot in the Texas State Capitol last week until Democrats made the decision to leave the state.
"She [her partner] was on her way out the door to get measured, and the hardest words I ever had to just force out of my mouth were 'The quorum is happening, I think we're leaving tomorrow,'" Israel said.
Israel said she and her partner agreed to postpone the wedding for the time being.
"This is how strongly we feel about this issue, in particular, and our role in history," she said. "This isn't just about Texas anymore. This is about the United States."
