Gruters Quarantines In Sarasota After COVID-19 Exposure: Report

SARASOTA, FL — After learning he had was possibly exposed to COVID-19, Republican state Sen. Joe Gruters returned to Sarasota from Tallahassee Tuesday to quarantine, the Herald-Tribune reported.

He headed home after learning that his wife, Sydney Gruters, tested positive for coronavirus, reports said. Following guidelines from the state senate, it’s expected that he’ll quarantine until sometime next week if he tests negative for the virus.

“I haven’t been hit with it yet,” Gruters told the Herald-Tribune. “She wasn’t feeling well. I told her, ‘It’s doubtful,’ but I said ‘go get tested.’ You never know when you’re going to get hit with that stuff.”

He said that their three children, who feel fine, also haven’t tested positive for the virus.

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Gruters was reelected as chair of the Republican Party of Florida in January. He previously served as the Sarasota GOP chair and also co-chaired former President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign in Florida.

He was also scheduled to speak at an anti-vaccine rally at the state capitol complex courtyard at the end of January. The event, organized by Freedom for Florida, was canceled at the last minute and never rescheduled.