New York City Mayor Eric Adams has tested positive for Covid-19 and has cancelled all public events this week, according to a City Hall spokesperson.
The mayor “woke up with a raspy voice and, out of an abundance of caution, took [a polymerase chain reaction] test that has come back positive,” according to the mayor’s press secretary Fabien Levy.
“At this time, the mayor has no other symptoms, but he is already isolating and will be cancelling all public events for the week,” he said on 10 April.
He also will “immediately” start a regimen of antiviral medication and is encouraging all New Yorkers who are eligible to take them, Mr Levy added. The city offers no-cost Covid-19 antiviral pills to residents who have tested positive, show mild to moderate symptoms, and have a prescription from a doctor.
“While he is isolating, he will continue to serve New Yorkers by working remotely,” he added.
Last month, as part of a broader “reopening” agenda since taking office on 1 January, the mayor moved to lift citywide public health measures like mask requirements and showing proof of vaccination for indoor dining, entertainment venues and gyms.
Following a lull in confirmed infections after a spike fuelled by the Omicron variant in the winter, cases across the city and US have started to rise again, largely due to the so-called “stealth Omicron” BA.2 variant that is now the dominant version among US infections.
The city is averaging roughly 1,800 daily confirmed infections, not counting results from at-home tests that are not reported to city health officials. That infection rate is three times the number of infections about one month ago, when the mayor began relaxing indoor protections.
On 9 April, the mayor attended a meeting with state legislators in the state’s capitol of Albany after a series of interviews with officials, public appearances and other events to mark his first 100 days in office.
The mayor also attended the Gridiron Club dinner in Washington DC last week, after which dozens of attendees tested positive. The mayor then maintained a public events schedule over the last several days that included visits to schools, performance venues and other events covered in the press and shared by his office and in posts across social media. He did not appear masked.
Among the events was the Reel Abilities Film Festival in New York, which highlights work from or about people with disabilities.
More than a dozen high-profile attendees of the Gridiron Club dinner – who were required to show proof of vaccination but not a negative test result – tested positive, including members of Congress and an aide to Vice President Kamala Harris. The event has been tied to at least 50 confirmed cases.
Several other Washington DC officials including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, among others, have recently tested positive.
Speaker Pelosi tested positive late last week following a nearly hour-long event at the White House with President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama to recognise the Affordable Care Act on Tuesday.
Ms Pelosi was seen embracing the president and remained in relatively close proximity; the White House has insisted that she is not a “close contact” with the president, who has since tested negative.
The New York City Department of Health recommends all New Yorkers get tested if they are experiencing symptoms or were recently exposed to someone who tested positive for Covid-19.
