Vice President Mike Pence’s office is pushing back on a report from Bloomberg News on Sunday afternoon that said Pence was reportedly self-isolating away from the White House after one of his aides tested positive for the coronavirus last week.
Bloomberg News reporter Jennifer Jacobs tweeted: “Vice President Mike Pence is self-isolating away from the White House after an aide was diagnosed with coronavirus on Friday, per several people familiar with the situation. Pence has repeatedly tested negative for Covid-19, including today, I’m told.”
BREAKING scoop: Vice President Mike Pence is self-isolating away from the White House after an aide was diagnosed with coronavirus on Friday, per several people familiar with the situation. Pence has repeatedly tested negative for Covid-19, including today, I’m told.
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) May 10, 2020
Jacobs noted in her report that Pence did not attend a meeting yesterday with President Donald Trump and top military leaders.
The move by Pence comes after his press secretary, Katie Miller, who is married to White House Senior Adviser Stephen Miller, tested positive for the coronavirus last week.
“Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, who visited the White House on Wednesday and spent time near Miller, is considering self-isolating, according to two people familiar with the matter,” Bloomberg News reported. “The state’s health director, Caitlin Pedati, accompanied Reynolds on the trip and is planning to self-isolate, one of the people said.”
Pence’s office quickly released a statement saying that Bloomberg News’ report was not accurate.
A spokesperson for Pence told CBS News, “VP Pence will continue to follow the advice of the WH Med Unit & is not in quarantine. Additionally, VP Pence has tested negative every single day & plans to be at the White House tomorrow.”
VP Pence’s office says he is NOT in quarantine. “VP Pence will continue to follow the advice of the WH Med Unit & is not in quarantine. Additionally, VP Pence has tested negative every single day & plans to be at the White House tomorrow.” – spox @devin_omalley
— Paula Reid (@PaulaReidCNN) May 10, 2020
The news comes after news broke on Saturday that three top scientific officials on the White House Coronavirus Task Force had entered into self-quarantine after possible exposure to the coronavirus.
The individuals who entered self-quarantine include Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and Dr. Stephen Hahn, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.
“The president’s physician and White House operations continue to work closely to ensure every precaution is taken to keep the president, first family and the entire White House complex safe and healthy at all times,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said. “In addition to social distancing, daily temperature checks and symptom histories, hand sanitizer, and regular deep cleaning of all work spaces, every staff member in proximity to the president and vice president is being tested daily for covid-19 as well as any guests.”
A separate report from The New York Times noted that the Secret Service had nearly a dozen members that had active cases of the coronavirus and nearly two dozen members who had already recovered from the coronavirus.
“The Secret Service has 11 active cases of the coronavirus and 23 employees who have recovered, current and former government officials said Friday, but it was unclear whether any were agents or served in the White House,” The New York Times reported. “The service, which has 150 offices across the country responsible for protecting a variety of dignitaries and investigating financial crimes, also has 60 others undergoing self-quarantine.”
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