André Jacque, a conservative 40-year-old Wisconsin state senator who made a lengthy maskless speech less than a week ago in a packed committee hearing about critical race theory, has been hospitalized with pneumonia after testing positive for the coronavirus, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
A vocal opponent of mask and vaccine mandates, Jacque frequently railed against the “China virus” and has dismissed public health experts’ guidance on ways to curb the spread of the coronavirus, voting against provisions that would allow the governor to order people to wear masks or require proof of vaccination at public venues.
Last Wednesday, Jacque participated in a seven-hour senate committee hearing about the current conservative hot button topic, critical race theory. The hearing featured testimony from more than 60 witnesses, and the maskless Jacque frequently made lengthy statements during the hearing.
The rotund Jacque said in an email to the Journal Sentinel that he has had pneumonia in the past and that he regularly deals with fatigue, particularly since he and his wife have an infant child. He started to experience fatigue again last week. He noted that he and other members of his family–his wife and six children, including the infant–tested positive for coronavirus, although he would not specify which other members had it.