Vice President Pence to keep up travel despite contact with infected aide
Vice President Mike Pence plans to maintain an aggressive campaign schedule this week despite an apparent outbreak of the coronavirus among his senior aides, the White House says.
Pence's chief of staff, Marc Short, and 바카라 게임 웹사이트a couple of key staff surrounding the vice president바카라 게임 웹사이트 have tested positive for the virus, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Sunday.
The vice president, who along with his wife, Karen, tested negative on Sunday, according to his office, is considered a 바카라 게임 웹사이트close contact바카라 게임 웹사이트 of the aides under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria but will not quarantine, his spokesman said.
Devin O바카라 게임 웹사이트Malley said Pence decided to maintain his travel schedule 바카라 게임 웹사이트in consultation with the White House Medical Unit" and "in accordance with the CDC guidelines for essential personnel.바카라 게임 웹사이트 Those guidelines require that essential workers exposed to someone with the coronavirus closely monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 and wear a mask whenever around other people.
O바카라 게임 웹사이트Malley said Pence and his wife, Karen, both tested negative on Saturday 바카라 게임 웹사이트and remain in good health.바카라 게임 웹사이트
President Donald Trump commented on Short early Sunday after his plane landed at Joint Base Andrews, outside Washington.
바카라 게임 웹사이트I did hear about it just now,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트And I think he바카라 게임 웹사이트s quarantining. Yeah. I did hear about it. He바카라 게임 웹사이트s going to be fine. But he바카라 게임 웹사이트s quarantining.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Saskia Popescu, an infectious disease expert at George Mason University, called Pence바카라 게임 웹사이트s decision to travel 바카라 게임 웹사이트grossly negligent바카라 게임 웹사이트 regardless of the stated justification that Pence is an essential worker.
바카라 게임 웹사이트It바카라 게임 웹사이트s just an insult to everybody who has been working in public health and public health response,바카라 게임 웹사이트 she said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트I also find it really harmful and disrespectful to the people going to the rally바카라 게임 웹사이트 and the people on Pence바카라 게임 웹사이트s own staff who will accompany him.
바카라 게임 웹사이트He needs to be staying home 14 days,바카라 게임 웹사이트 she added. 바카라 게임 웹사이트Campaign events are not essential.바카라 게임 웹사이트
After a day of campaigning in Florida on Saturday, Pence was seen wearing a mask as he returned to Washington aboard Air Force Two shortly after the news of Short바카라 게임 웹사이트s diagnosis was made public. He is scheduled to hold a rally on Sunday afternoon in Kinston, North Carolina, with travel planned to Minnesota on Monday and North Carolina once again on Tuesday.
Video: Pence touts reelection bid at recent New Hampshire rally
Pence, who has headed the White House coronavirus task force since late February, has repeatedly found himself in an uncomfortable position balancing political concerns with the administration's handling the pandemic that has killed more than 220,000 Americans. The vice president has advocated mask-wearing and social distancing, but often does not wear one himself and holds large political events where many people do not wear face-coverings.
By virtue of his position as vice president, Pence is considered an essential worker. The White House did not address how Pence's political activities amounted to essential work.
Short's diagnosis comes weeks after the coronavirus spread through the White House, infecting Trump, the first lady, and two dozen other aides, staffers and allies.
Short, Pence's top aide and one of his closest confidants, did not travel with the vice president on Saturday. Top Pence political adviser Marty Obst tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this week, a person familiar with the matter said.
Pence's handling of his exposure to a confirmed positive case stands in contrast to how Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris responded when a close aide and a member of her campaign plane's charter crew tested positive for the virus earlier this month. She took several days off the campaign trail, citing her desire to act out of an abundance of caution.
