Nasty Stomach Virus Lands California Republicans Under Quarantine at GOP Convention

California Republican staffers are persona non grata at the Republican National Convention, having contacted a highly contagious virus with the power to race through the ranks of delegates.

About a dozen California GOP staffers attending the convention are under quarantine thanks to a suspected outbreak of norovirus, the infamous cruise ship bug known for spreading quickly through crowds.

Sidelined with stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea, the California staffers and delegation are being housed in a hotel far away from the convention, at Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, Ohio, the Los Angeles Times reported.

According to the newspaper, “No delegates, alternates or guests have reported becoming infected, but the risks are high. The staff members who became ill were in constant contact with the delegation, from filling the goodie bags they received upon check-in to handing out convention credentials every morning.”

Health officials in Ohio reportedly collected fecal samples from the staffers in hopes of quickly identifying the outbreak.

Martin Emigh, a delegate from Solano County, told the newspaper it’s imperative the outbreak doesn’t reach the delegates, who are being discouraged from handshaking and physical contact.

“I’m not going to weaken,” he told the Times. “We’ve got to make America great again.”

Photo credit: Patch editor Rick Uldricks