Mike Pence Adviser, Chief of Staff Test Positive for Coronavirus, Adding to White House Outbreak
A top adviser to Vice President Mike Pence tested positive for the coronavirus this week, adding to the number of cases in the White House outbreak.
Pence's senior political adviser Marty Obst tested positive of the virus alongside the vice president's chief of staff Marc Short.
Bloomberg News was the first to report the new cases in the White House outbreak.
Short was the second top Pence adviser to test positive this week. Earlier this year, before the White House outbreak, spokeswoman Katie Miller also tested positive for COVID-19.
Pence's office said in a statement Saturday, Marc Short "began quarantine" after learning of his aides' diagnosis. He was also cooperating in contact-tracing efforts.
Obst, on the other hand, was at the Salt Lake City vice presidential debate on October 7. He posed with the vice president and others after the event, not wearing a face mask.
He is not considered a government employee. It is also unclear if he developed any COVID-19 symptoms.
Obst and Pence's office did not provide immediate comment on the matter.
Pence Tested Negative for COVID-19
Vice presidential spokesman Devin O'Malley said Pence and his wife both tested negative for COVID-19 and both remain "in good health."
It's not clear whether Obst was in clost proximity with the vice president lately, said a CNN report. But Short was considered a close contact.
Both men are seen travelling with Pence often.
Despite this, the vice president who heads the White House's coronavirus task force will continue his schedule.
"The Vice President will maintain his schedule in accordance with the CDC guidelines for essential personnel," vice presidential spokesman Devin O'Malley said.
The office said Pence still plans to go to North Carolina on Sunday, reported NBC News.
According to USA Today, the vice president was in the middle of his second campaign rally in Florida Saturday when the Bloomberg report was published.
Short did not travel with Pence during that event. Other aides who were in close contact with the chief of staff were also pulled from the event before departure.
On Thursday, Pence travelled with Short to Indiana. The aide also interacted with Pence's supporters who came to the Fort Wayne rally.
Pence is on a tight travelling schedule with Election Day approaching. He's expected to make at least one campaign stop this month.
The coronavirus has wormed its way into the White House in September.
It infected President Donald Trump, his wife Melania and youngest son Barron.
A number of Trump aides also emerged positive of the virus, including his press secretary, campaign manager and the chairperson of the Republican National Committee.
Amid the scare, Trump's campaign did not adjust health and safety protocols in the president's campaign rallies.
There is still little social distancing and mask wearing is barely observed.
The management of the White House outbreak serves as a punctuation mark on how the administration is struggling to handle the pandemic.
New cases all over the country went over 83,000 on Friday, a record beating July 16's 77,000.
About 8.5 million Americans have contracted the virus and more than 220,000 people have died.
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