White House Infected: two staffers positive, Fauci quarantined, coronavirus task force members isolating

Two White House staffers are reportedly infected with coronavirus and three members of the Coronavirus Task Force restricting social contact with others after coming into contact with infected individuals.

Pence press secretary Katie Miller, the wife of Trump aide Stephen Miller, tested positive for the virus last week, as did a personal valet to Trump whose name has not been confirmed.

Dr. Anthony Fauci is entering what the White House calls "modified quarantine" for two weeks.

And the BBC reports that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Dr Robert Redfield and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Stephen Hahn are "self-isolating" after contact with people known to be infected.

In a statement, the CDC said Dr Redfield, 68, had no symptoms and was not feeling unwell, but would also be teleworking for two weeks after "low risk exposure" to someone at the White House. It is unclear who this person is. And an FDA spokesman told Reuters news agency on Friday that 60-year-old Stephen Hahn was also self-isolating. He has also tested negative, the spokesman said.The three men were due to address a Senate committee on Tuesday. Before the news about Dr Fauci became public, committee chairman Senator Lamar Alexander said Dr Redfield and Dr Hahn would be allowed to testify by videolink.

Bloomberg reported that Pence would be self-isolating too, but he has denied it and reportedly told those attending a roundtable with him to remove their masks for the event. Read the rest