President Joe Biden will mask up in certain situations and socially distance himself after first lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID, the White House announced Tuesday.
On Monday, the first lady’s communications director, Elizabeth Alexander, told the press, “This evening, the First Lady tested positive for COVID-19. She is currently experiencing only mild symptoms.” The president tested negative both Monday and Tuesday morning and now will undergo a series of precautionary measures.
“He’s not experiencing any symptoms,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday. “As far as the steps that he is taking since the president was with the first lady yesterday, he will be masking while indoors and around people in alignment with CDC guidance. And, as, as has been the practice in the past, the president will remove his mask when sufficiently distanced from others indoors, and while outside as well.”
Karine Jean-Pierre says Biden will be wearing a mask indoors again pic.twitter.com/3NZqnP36N2
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 5, 2023
Reports suggest that a COVID wave is hitting the nation, but there is no information to indicate it is any deadlier than previous surges.
Biden’s return to masking comes after several studies have suggested that masking has no effect on stopping the transmission of the virus. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, recently disputed such claims.
“I am concerned that people will not abide by recommendations,” Fauci said on Sunday. “I would hope that if we get to the point that the volume of cases is such and organizations like the CDC recommends — CDC does not mandate anything — recommends that people wear masks, I would hope that people abide by that recommendation and take into account the risks to themselves and their families.”
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As a presidential candidate, Biden promised to “shut down the virus,” a pledge which has yet to come to fruition.
In response to new COVID variants, Biden said in late August that he would ask Congress for additional funding for the development of a new COVID vaccine.
“I signed off this morning on a proposal we have to present to the Congress a request for additional funding for a new vaccine that is necessary, that works,” Biden said. “It will likely be recommended that everybody get it no matter whether they’ve gotten it before or not.”
The fully-vaccinated Jill Biden’s COVID diagnosis comes more than two years after the president told the American people, “You’re not going to get COVID if you have these vaccinations.”
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“As you can see Whoopi is not here… she has COVID! Yes!… pic.twitter.com/lkWGiJQtl4
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) September 5, 2023
The first lady also had COVID in August 2022. The president has had COVID twice.
For now, Biden is still scheduled to go to the G20 summit hosted in India later this week.