Cotton closes D.C. office; other delegates sanitizing

WASHINGTON — Citing coronavirus concerns, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton has closed his Capitol Hill office for the foreseeable future.

His Washington-based staff members will be telecommuting until at least the end of next week, the Dardanelle Republican said Thursday.

Offices for other members of the Arkansas congressional delegation were still open Thursday.

“With a confirmed case of the coronavirus in congressional offices and, I suspect, many more cases to be confirmed in the coming days, I decided it was best to err on the side of caution 1.) to protect the health of my own staff and 2.) to protect public health, since one of the best ways to arrest the spread of a virus is for people to work from home if they can,” Cotton said in a telephone interview.

Asked how long coronavirus-related troubles will last, Cotton said: “I hope it’s a matter of weeks, not months, but some of that depends on how we respond, not only as a government, but as a people.”

For now, his district offices remain open.

“The government needs to continue a very aggressive response that errs on the side of caution,” Cotton said. “If we succeed in arresting the spread of this virus and it begins to decline in a few weeks, some people might say those practices, whether they were individual or government, were an overreaction. Better, in retrospect, to look like it was an overreaction than, in retrospect, to ask what more we could have done.”

While Cotton was closed his office, the House and Senate sergeants-at-arms were taking their own steps to slow the virus’s spread.

Capitol tours were suspended, effective at the end of the day Thursday. Access to the entire Capitol complex will be restricted until April 1, officials said.

While lawmakers, staff members and credentialed journalists will still have access, others with official business will need to be escorted into the buildings by lawmakers or staff members, officials said.

A spokeswoman for U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, said employees in the Jonesboro Republican’s office were contacting Washington-bound constituents to let them know of the development.

“As of right now, we’re not telecommuting,” spokeswoman Sara Robertson said.

Provisions were being made, however, in case that becomes necessary, she said.

In an interview Tuesday, Crawford said his office has an ample supply of hand sanitizer. Hand-washing is also a priority, he noted.

Greetings, for now, may be a little less formal.

“We’re trying to minimize the close contact and handshaking, although that’s a hard habit to break,” he said.

In the Capitol Hill office of U.S. Rep. French Hill, guests were still being welcomed and final tours were still being conducted.

But the Little Rock Republican was also preparing for potential disruptions.

“If the Capitol reduces visitation or if the Capitol delays legislative business, we have a contingency plan for that. We also have a contingency plan if someone in our office contracts the virus,” Hill said in an interview Wednesday.

Lawmakers are trying to strike the right balance, he said.

“I know members of Congress want to demonstrate leadership on hygiene and protection, but they also want to demonstrate leadership that they’re attending to the nation’s business,” he said.

In the Capitol Hill office of U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, staff members were carefully sanitizing doorknobs, keyboards and other surfaces.

Fist bumps had replaced more traditional greetings.

A sign on the door spelled out the new policy: “In response to public health concerns, this office is a hand-shake free zone.”

In an interview, the Hot Springs Republican said Americans should think positively but plan proactively.

“We’re preparing for the worst case, and everybody’s expecting the best. We wouldn’t want to look back in history and say, ‘We should have done this’ or “We should have done that.’ I think most people would be more comfortable with looking back and saying, ‘We overprepared,’” he said.

“What we want to do is minimize how bad it gets, and that’s why all the extra precautions and preparedness are taking place,” he said.

In U.S. Rep. Steve Womack’s Capitol Hill office, staff members were “taking all precautions that the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] is advising,” said his spokeswoman, Alexia Sikora. Things are in flux, she noted. “As you’re aware, it’s a dynamic situation and things are constantly changing,” she said. “For now we are open and operating as normally as possible.”

A spokesman for U.S. Sen. John Boozman said the Rogers Republican’s office was also open.

As of Tuesday, Boozman hadn’t yet switched to fist bumps.

“I’m shaking hands,” he said. “And using hand sanitizer.”