Oct. 18, 2001 — Concerns about anthrax have forced the closing of Delegate Donna Christian Christensen’s Washington, D.C., office and those of her colleagues in the House of Representatives until Tuesday.
The action was taken to ensure that the Capitol and all the congressional office buildings are free of anthrax, Christensen said.
She said the House leadership decided to close the Capitol and the House office buildings from 7 p.m. Wednesday until 5 a.m. Tuesday.
The decision was made after the office of Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle received a letter found to contain anthrax, which has affected at least 30 members of his staff. Testing found anthrax spores in various areas of the Senate complex.
"The House leadership on both sides of the aisle thought it was prudent to do an environmental assessment of all offices to ensure the safety of members and staff," Christensen said in a release Wednesday. "However, our district offices will remain open, our D.C. staff will work from home, and all calls to the Washington offices will be forwarded to the Virgin Islands phones."
She added, "We have to be cautious, but there is still work to be done; so, if constituents have any questions or concerns, they should direct all inquiries to the St. Thomas and St. Croix offices."
Christensen said she will return to the Virgin Islands on Sunday evening and will meet with territorial officials on a number of economic, health and security issues on Monday and Tuesday before returning to the nation's capital for a congressional session on Tuesday evening.
