Over a hundred members of the National Guard on duty in Washington DC for the inauguration ceremony have tested positive for coronavirus.

An official who asked for anonymity told Reuters that although members of the troop who had become infected were less than 1% of the total number working across the Capitol.

More than 25,000 troops were deployed to Washington for Joe Biden’s inauguration following the violent riots and looting of Capitol buildings by Trump supporters on 6 January.

New reports now show that there are just 10,500 National Guard troops still on duty, with 15,000 due to return to their home states in the next five to 10 days while 7,000 are expected to remain until at least the end of the month, with 5,000 still there by mid-March, officials have said.

With up to 200 members of the National Guard testing positive to Covid-19, it poses as a serious cause for concern in regards to the spread of the virus. It also raises questions on if appropriate covid-19 measures were followed while troops carried out their duties.