Pence to practice social distancing after staff member gets infected with coronavirus [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• A staffer of the U.S vice president was tested positive with coronavirus last Friday.
• While Pence remains uninfected, he is to go on isolation for two days following his press secretary’s diagnosis.
• Three other White House officials also decided to be on self-quarantine after President Trump’s two personal staff were tested COVID-19 positive.  

NBC News reports that U.S Vice President Mike Pence is to practice social distancing over the weekend following a staffer’s diagnosis of COVID-19.

The senior administration official confirmed that Pence was to heed the recommendation of the White House medical authorities.

The official also noted that while the vice president has remained negative with COVID-19, he decided not to join a national security briefing on Saturday, adding that Pence’s undertakings are not currently restricted.

The senior officer further said Pence would practice distancing for safety reasons, noting that he’s to be more cautious in a day or two, not including the following week.

Pence’s spokesman, Devin O’Malley, said that Pence is not in isolation, and he’s looking forward to visiting the White House on Monday.

Pence’s move was due to the COVID-19 diagnosis of Katie Miller, his press secretary. This was also following last week’s coronavirus infection of Trump’s personal attendants.

White House spokesperson Hogan Gidley said the office had increased testing measures from weekly to every day for both Trump and Pence, along with other officials.

On Friday, Trump was also tested negative for the coronavirus.

Katie Miller confirmed that she was previously tested negative for the virus. With another screening by Friday, the results came out positive, as verified to the outlet by another White House official.

She is the wife of a top official working with the Trump administration, Stephen Miller, who remained negative with the bug.

Miller’s coronavirus positive result has come before the Iowa visit of Pence on Friday. The vice president proceeded with his trip, and while he was seen to keep his distance from others, he did not wear any protective mask.

Three other White House coronavirus task force members were also possibly exposed.

Administration authorities on Saturday confirmed these officials are Dr. Stephen Hahn, head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the well-known director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci.

White House senior adviser, Kevin Hassett, commented on Sunday that it would now be terrifying to report to work in the White House after the COVID-19  diagnosis of two Trump staff members since last week.

The CDC urges individuals, who lately had interacted with coronavirus infected persons, should stay quarantined for 14 days from their last contact, avoid mingling with those who are most susceptible to the bug, and should monitor their temperature twice a day.

Source: AOL