Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, has tested positive for Covid-19 and will not travel to Europe with Joe Biden for meetings in Brussels and Poland this week.
In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, Psaki said she had met twice with Biden, 79, on Monday but he had tested negative the following day.
“In preparation for travel to Europe,” Psaki said, “I took a PCR test this morning. That test came back positive, which means I will be adhering to CDC guidance and no longer be traveling on the president’s trip to Europe.
“I had two socially distanced meetings with the president yesterday, and he is not considered a close contact as defined by CDC guidance. I am sharing the news of my positive test today out of an abundance of transparency. The president tested negative today via PCR test.
“Thanks to the vaccine, I have only experienced mild symptoms. In alignment with White House Covid-19 protocols, I will work from home and plan to return to work in person at the conclusion of a five-day isolation period and a negative test.”
Biden is vaccinated and boosted. Psaki, his chief voice in the media, has tested positive for Covid before, in October last year.
More than 972,000 people have died of Covid in the US. Most public health restrictions have been relaxed, under new federal policy aimed at focusing on areas where hospital resources are under strain.
Anthony Fauci, Biden’s chief medical adviser, said on Sunday he expected to see cases rise thanks to the BA.2 Omicron virus subvariant, but he did not expect that the US would experience a dangerous new surge.
“We’re still in this,” the 81-year-old said of the pandemic which began in early 2020. “We have a way to go. I think we’re clearly going in the right direction. Hope we stay that way.”
