Vice President Mike Pence is confirming that he will not have a period of self-isolation despite two White House employees testing positive for the coronavirus.
Pence’s spokesperson Devin O’Malley released a brief statement on Sunday making it clear that the vice president “will continue to follow the advice of the White House Medical Unit and is not in quarantine.”
Since Pence has tested negative every day he has been tested, he will be working in the White House on Monday.
O’Malley continued, “Additionally, Vice President Pence has tested negative every single day and plans to be at the White House tomorrow.”
The latest announcement about Pence’s refusal to self-quarantine comes as two White House staffers have tested positive for the virus. After President Donald Trump’s personal valet tested positive, it was confirmed on Friday that Pence’s press secretary Katie Miller tested positive for the virus.
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Miller’s positive test results sent shockwaves of nervousness that the virus was hitting the inner circle of the White House. Although her husband — White House Immigration Adviser and Trump’s speechwriter, Stephen Miller — tested negative for the virus, he will not be returning to the White House anytime soon, according to CNN.
Along with her and one of Trump’s personal valet, at least 11 secret service agents also tested positive while an additional 60 agents have opted to self-quarantine.
The development has led to many key members of the coronavirus task force — including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Robert Redfield, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Stephen Hahn — opting to isolate due to the possibility of exposure to the coronavirus, as previously reported on IJR.
Despite the developments, the White House has confirmed Trump and Pence have tested negative repeatedly and will continue to be tested every day for the foreseeable future.
As of Monday morning, there are more than 1.3 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States. More than 80,700 people in the U.S. have died due to the coronavirus.