An aide to US President Joe Biden has tested positive for Covid-19 after spending time with the commander in chief days prior, the White House has confirmed, though Biden will continue his usual duties and forego quarantine.
A “mid-level staffer,” who was not identified by name, tested positive for the virus on Monday, according to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, who noted that the individual is believed to have spent a brief period in Biden’s vicinity a few days earlier.
“On Friday, that staff member had spent approximately 30 minutes in proximity to the president on Air Force One,” Psaki said in a statement, adding that both Biden and the aide were fully vaccinated and boosted, and had tested negative before boarding the flight.
“After being notified of the staffer’s positive test, the president received a PCR test and tested negative. He will be tested again on Wednesday.”
However, Psaki said President Biden will not self-isolate and would “continue with his daily schedule,” citing the current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The agency does not recommend quarantine for those who are fully immunized, despite a number of ‘breakthrough infections’ seen among vaccinated patients around the world, including the boosted White House aide.
The unnamed staffer is not the first in the Biden administration to contract the illness, with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Psaki herself – both fully vaccinated – testing positive in October.