On Monday night the White House announced that President Joe Biden was recently in close contact with an aide who later tested positive for COVID-19. According to a report by The Washington Post, Biden’s most recent coronavirus test was on Monday morning, and his next one will be on Wednesday. Since Biden is fully vaccinated, he does not plan to quarantine unless he tests positive.
The White House did not identify the staffer who tested positive for COVID-19, but press secretary Jen Psaki described them as “a mid-level staff member who does not regularly have contact with the President.” She also said that the staffer was “fully vaccinated and boosted,” and that they spent about half an hour with Biden on Friday on Air Force One. They reportedly tested negative before boarding the plane, then began experiencing COVID symptoms on Sunday. They tested positive for the virus on Monday morning.
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“Others on Air Force One who were in close contact with this staff member are being contacted and will be advised to get tested per CDC guidance,” Psaki went on. “The President is tested on a regular basis. As part of that regular testing, the president received an antigen test Sunday, and tested negative.”
Biden’s exposure comes amid a surge in new COVID-19 cases in the U.S., comprised mostly of the omicron variant. It also comes shortly after a controversial White House press briefing where the Biden administration stated that it would not take steps to mitigate the spread of omicron, instead urging Americans to get vaccinated. It reads: “We are intent on not letting Omicron disrupt work and school for the vaccinated.You’ve done the right thing, and we will get through this. For the unvaccinated, you’re looking at a winter of severe illness and death for yourselves, your families, and the hospitals you may soon overwhelm.”
Critics condemned the phrasing of this message as heartless, and the content as well. Some argue that there are other policies the administration could enact to reduce transmission, prevent further mutations of the virus, increase vaccination rates or make other forms of headway against the pandemic.
Biden is still expected to address the country about the pandemic on Tuesday, but Psaki reiterated that he will not be announcing any new restrictions or stay-at-home orders. She said: “This is not a speech about locking the country down.”
