DC urges Rose Garden event attendees to test for COVID-19

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Washington, D.C. health officials are prompting all individuals connected with a recent event held at the White House Rose Garden to get tested for COVID-19. 
• The health advisory on Thursday also advised those who were identified as a contact to self-quarantine for 14 days despite having a negative result. 
• The notice came after President Trump and a dozen of his campaign members tested positive for the virus after attending the Sept. 26 nomination announcement of Judge Amy Coney Barrett.

Health officials in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia are calling on people who attended a recent White House Rose Garden event to contact their local health departments and get tested for COVID-19. 

In a joint health advisory released Thursday, health authorities urged anyone who has had contact with anyone at the White House — either with people who worked at the White House in the past two weeks or has been linked to the Rose Garden ceremony. 

The Sept. 26 ceremony at the Rose Garden where Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination was announced was regarded as a possible “super-spreader” following confirmations that President Donald Trump and about two dozen members of his department were infected with the coronavirus. 

The lack of cooperation, however, from the Trump administration to contact trace has made it quite difficult to determine the full extent of the White House coronavirus outbreak. 

Since Trump announced late last week that he had tested positive, three GOP senators have also been reported to have contracted the virus. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), two of the three senators, were attendees at the White House event. 

Less than a week after his diagnosis, Trump reported to work at the Oval Office on Wednesday despite advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that self-isolation for at least 10 days after the appearance of symptoms is required on all coronavirus patients.

Earlier this week, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) sent a letter to the White House requesting cooperation in tracking and containing the outbreak. Along with the request, the letter also criticized the administration’s slack response to COVID-19 guidelines which has put the city at great risk. 

Meanwhile, the notice on Thursday also encouraged those who were identified as a contact to quarantine for 14 days from the date of exposure, even though their test results came out negative. 

“If you are identified as a contact, having a negative test does not limit the time period within which you are required to quarantine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a 14-day quarantine period from the date of exposure.” 

In addition, they recommended that everyone continue observing the basic CDC guidelines that include mask use, physical distancing, and washing hands frequently.

Source: The Hill