Oriana Gonzalez
White House communications director Kate Bedingfield announced that she tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday.
What she’s saying: “I last saw the President Wednesday in a socially-distanced meeting while wearing an N-95 mask, and he is not considered a close contact as defined by the CDC,” Bedingfield said in a tweet.
State of play: Bedingfield said she’s experiencing “mild symptoms” and will be working from home. She plans to return to work in person “at the conclusion of a five-day isolation period and a negative test.”
The big picture: She is the latest White House official to contract the virus, following Vice President Harris, who tested positive earlier this week.
- Second gentleman Doug Emhoff and press secretary Jen Psaki tested positive in March.
- Biden was not considered a close contact of any of those individuals, according to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which defines close contact as being within 6 feet of an infected person for 15 minutes or longer.
Between the lines: Biden and first lady Jill Biden are expected to attend the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday, where journalists, government officials and other guests are expected to attend.
- Anthony Fauci is not attending the dinner due to concerns around the spread of the virus, per NBC News.
Source: axios.com