Dr. Cyrus Shahpar — former Epidemic Intelligence Service officer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — is recommending President Donald Trump self-quarantine due to the possibility of him being exposed to the coronavirus.
On Thursday, Shahpar appeared on CNN with John King where he was asked his professional opinion on how the president should proceed.
Although the president has tested negative for the virus multiple times, Shahpar still insists it would be “unwise from a public health standpoint” not to self-quarantine for 14 days.
“The recommendation would be to quarantine for 14 days from the last contact with the confirmed case, in this case, the valet,” Shahpar said. “And that means staying home, no visitors, separating yourself from others, monitoring for symptoms, wearing a face-covering when you’re around others. Ideally, you’re not, but that would be the recommendation.”
See Shahpar’s remarks below:
While King and Shahpar both admitted that such a feat would likely be difficult for the President of the United States, the epidemic intelligence expert stressed that the president should “set an example” and take necessary safety precautions.
“In this case, as a high visibly person, I think he should set an example and really go into that quarantine of 14 days.”
Shahpar also went on to express why its important not to make decisions based on a current, negative test result.
He continued, “And don’t put too much stock into one negative test. It takes time to develop, you know, enough virus to test positive. So, one test today doesn’t necessarily mean that you know, over the next few days, it may not be something different.”
Shahpar’s suggestion follows reports about one of Trump’s personal valets testing positive for the coronavirus. The same day the test result was announced, the president was tested again for coronavirus.
White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley released a statement confirming the president and Vice President Mike Pence have tested negative for the virus.
“We were recently notified by the White House Medical Unit that a member of the United States Military, who works on the White House campus, has tested positive for Coronavirus,” Gidley said. “The President and the Vice President have since tested negative for the virus and they remain in great health.”
However, the president said on Thursday to reporters that he will be tested every day as a safety precaution. Trump also said he has had “very little personal contact” with the valet who tested positive.