Biden tests negative for Covid-19 after returning from Europe
By Nikki Carvajal, CNN
President Joe Biden tested negative for Covid-19 Monday morning as a part of his regular testing cadence, the White House said.
Biden’s negative test comes after White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday after returning from Europe. Jean-Pierre had traveled with Biden during the trip and was in a meeting with him on Saturday.
“I last saw the President during a socially distanced meeting yesterday, and the President 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,” she said in a statement Sunday evening.
Jean-Pierre, 44, added that she is experiencing “mild symptoms” and will work from home until after her five-day isolation period and a negative Covid-19 test. She had traveled on Air Force One with the President and his team during his four-day stint in Europe to rally the world’s democracies and announce more actions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
Ahead of the trip, White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced she had tested positive for Covid-19 a second time, also experiencing mild symptoms.
Earlier in March, second gentleman Doug Emhoff tested positive for the virus, marking the first known case of Covid-19 among the first or second families since Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took office in January 2021.
Biden also tested negative for Covid on Friday when he traveled from Brussels to Warsaw.
Inside the White House over the last month, in accordance with federal public health guidelines, officials and visitors have not been required to wear masks or social distance. Visitors are expected to be tested for Covid-19 before attending official White House events.
Covid-19 cases in Washington, DC, have declined since their peak in early January, when the country was facing a wave of Omicron variant cases.
The-CNN-Wire
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CNN’s Paul LeBlanc contributed to this report.
