Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and member of the federal coronavirus task force, told CNN Saturday he will begin a “modified quarantine” after making a “low risk” contact with the White House staffer who tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Fauci told CNN he was not in close contact with the staffer who tested positive, but out of an abundance of caution, he will work remotely and wear a mask for the next 14 days. Fauci also plans on going to the White House but will wear a mask and practice social distancing.
Fauci also plans on going to his office at the National Institutes of Health where he is the only one there. He will also be tested every day, noting that he tested negative on Friday.
Additionally, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn is also self-quarantining for 14 days after exposure to White House spokesperson Katie Miller, who tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday, reports Politico. Hahn is asymptomatic and was tested on Friday for the virus. He tested negative.
FDA spokesperson Stephanie Caccomo said: “Per CDC guidelines, he is now in self-quarantine for the next two weeks. He immediately took a diagnostic test and tested negative for the virus.”
Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is also self-quarantining for 14 days after exposure to someone who tested positive for the coronavirus in the White House, although officials have not said who.
Fauci, Redfield, and Hahn were all slated to testify at a Senate hearing on the virus Tuesday. Redfield and Hahn will now testify via video, while Fauci is expected to attend in person while wearing a mask.
White House not immune from COVID-19
The Trump administration has been criticized for not appearing to take the federal guidelines designed to prevent the spread of the virus seriously, even though they issued the guidelines.
Readers may remember that in early April, Trump announced that as part of the new CDC guidelines, people were being asked to wear masks when out in public. Trump also noted that this order was “voluntary,” and he would not wear a mask.
Later that month, VP Mike Pence didn’t wear a mask while touring the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota – meeting staff and patients. He defended his decision to forgo the mask, saying that he and his regular contacts are tested regularly for COVID-19. However, after the public outcry, Pence did wear a mask during a tour of the General Motors plant days later.
Even with White House officials assuring the public that the president and vice president and any top officials are regularly tested, often, every day for the coronavirus, this doesn’t mean a whole lot. This argument is being used as an excuse for Trump’s disdain for science.
Trump’s “do as I say, and not as I do” attitude when it comes to federal guidelines is undermining state governors and their efforts to keep people safe, as well as putting White House staff and visitors at risk. Remember this – You can test negative today, yet, tomorrow you may test positive for the virus. Not only that, but the tests do have a high incidence of false negatives.
