Vice President Mike Pence was self-isolating in his home after an aide tested positive for the coronavirus last week, but he decided to return to the White House on Monday.
According to administration officials, Pence was voluntarily keeping his distance from other people in line with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He has repeatedly tested negative for COVID-19 but was following the advice of medical officials.
One of his spokesperson Devin O’Malley said Sunday, “Vice President Pence will continue to follow the advice of the White House Medical Unit and is not in quarantine.” “Additionally, Vice President Pence has tested negative every single day and plans to be at the White House tomorrow,” he added.
Pence has been at home since returning to Washington from a day trip to Iowa on Friday and did not appear at President Donald Trump’s meeting with military leaders Saturday at the White House. Pence was informed of the aide’s positive test shortly before departing for that trip.
An official initially said Pence planned to continue working from home before Pence’s office clarified that he planned to work from the White House on Monday. It was not immediately clear how Pence’s steps to self-isolate would impact his professional or public engagements.
Top officials who have gone into quarantine because of exposure to a person at the White House who tested positive for the virus are Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the CDC; and the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Stephen Hahn.
Pence’s press secretary, Katie Miller, tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday, making her the second person who works at the White House complex known to test positive for the virus this week.
After Miller was identified as having tested positive, Trump said he was “not worried” about the virus spreading in the White House. Nonetheless, officials said they were stepping up safety protocols for the complex.
