2 years ago
White House press secretary Jen Psaki has tested positive for Covid-19, she announced on Tuesday.
"Today, in preparation for travel to Europe, I took a PCR test this morning," Psaki said in a statement. "That test came back positive, which means I will be adhering to CDC guidance and no longer be traveling on the President’s trip to Europe."
President Joe Biden is scheduled to depart on Wednesday for Brussels, where he will attend a NATO summit, a G-7 meeting and a European Council session — all concerning Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Biden is then scheduled to travel to Warsaw on Friday for a meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda on the subject of “the humanitarian and human rights crisis” caused by the invasion of Ukraine, according to the White House.
In her statement on Tuesday, Psaki — who missed a previous Biden trip to Europe after testing positive for Covid-19 last October — said she had two "socially-distanced meetings" with Biden on Monday and that the president "is not considered a close contact as defined by CDC guidance."
Biden tested negative for Covid-19 on Tuesday, Psaki said, and she decided to share the news of her positive test result "out of an abundance of transparency."
"Thanks to the vaccine, I have only experienced mild symptoms," Psaki said. "In alignment with White House COVID-19 protocols, I will work from home and plan to return to work in person at the conclusion of a five-day isolation period and a negative test."
At the previously scheduled White House news briefing on Tuesday, White House deputy press secretary Chris Meagher stood in for Psaki at the podium.
English (US)