House Speaker Philip Gunn (R-Clinton) confirmed on Sunday that he had contracted COVID-19. Gunn said that he had not been exhibiting symptoms and that he was close to a person who had tested positive last week. “I will self-quarantine for the required amount of time and go to all that (state health officer) Dr. Dobbs advised me to do.” Trey Lamar, R.Senatobia House Ways and Means Chair, confirmed that Gunn had tested positive on Sunday. On Friday, Rep. Bo Brown (D-Jackson) confirmed that he had tested positive. Multiple sources indicate that other House members have also tested positive for coronavirus. Robert Johnson of Natchez (the House Democratic leader) said that he heard about five House members have tested positive. Lt. Governor. Leah Rupp Smith, Delbert Hosemann’s deputy chief-of-staff, said that “a staff member has tested positive and is now in quarantine.” “Senators and staff were notified and we are following the instructions of the state health officer.” These revelations came one day after Thomas Dobbs, the Mississippi State Medical Association’s state health officer, said that his agency was watching the Legislature for signs of an outbreak. “Dr. “Dr. “Our legislators often visit their communities in significant numbers, so this is not surprising. We hope this will be a temporary situation, but the investigation continues.” Liz Sharlot, spokesperson for Mississippi Department of Health said that “We are aware of positive and ill cases among House members. While I do not have numbers, we are still investigating and working with House leadership.” Although the Legislature completed most of its regular work for 2020, it did not pass a budget to fund the Department of Marine Resources. This agency provides law enforcement and regulatory services along the Gulf Coast. The agency without a budget was forced to perform basic services, as it has a new budget year that begins on July 1. The Legislature was expected back in the next week to discuss the budget of the department. There are still questions about the budget of the department due to the coronavirus epidemic. The Legislature was forced to take a lengthy recess during the pandemic. When it returned in May and June, new safety precautions were implemented, including temperature checks and social distancing between each chamber. In recent days, many of these precautions have not been enforced and members are wearing less masks. A Capitol Police officer was reportedly positive for coronavirus in March. The Legislature was not on vacation because of the pandemic. A state Capitol employee, who works occasionally for the legislature, was also positive for COVID-19, according to legislative leaders. This news comes after another record-setting week of coronavirus cases in Mississippi. There were 2,774 cases in the three days preceding the July 4th holiday. Despite a decline in daily cases reporting Sunday, likely due to holiday reporting delays, the weekly COVID-19 positive rates and rolling average number of new cases have steadily risen to record highs. The total tests have not increased to the same level as May’s records. Hospitalization rates continue to rise, which is worrying for health officials. They claim that ICUs are overflowing and the risk of overwhelming the health system from ever-increasing numbers. In the past two weeks, COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased by more than a third in seven days. Erica Hensley contributed to the report. To support this important work, you can make a regular donation to the Spring Member Drive today.