Jen Psaki tests positive for COVID-19
Psaki last saw Biden a day after he coughed into his hand and shook hands with the public while maskless
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday she has tested positive for COVID-19 despite being vaccinated.
"On Wednesday, in coordination with senior leadership at the White House and the medical team, I made the decision not to travel on the foreign trip with the president due to a family emergency, which was members of my household testing positive for COVID-19," Psaki said in a statement.
The White House said President Biden tested negative for the virus on Sunday, according to Reuters.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Psaki said she tested negative (via PCR) on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday."
"However, today, I tested positive for COVID. While I have not had close contact in person with the president or senior members of the White House staff since Wednesday — and tested negative for four days after that last contact — I am disclosing today’s positive test out of an abundance of transparency.
BIDEN COUGHS INTO HAND, PROCEEDS TO SHAKE HANDS WITH PUBLIC WHILE MASKLESS
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I last saw the president on Tuesday, when we sat outside more than six feet apart and wore masks," Psaki added. "Thanks to the vaccine, I have only experienced mild symptoms, which has enabled me to continue working from home. I will plan to return to work in person at the conclusion of the ten-day quarantine following a negative rapid test, which is an additional White House requirement, beyond CDC guidance, taken out of an abundance of caution."
White House press secretary Jen Psaki speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, July 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Last Monday, a day before his last encounter with Psaki, President Biden coughed into his hand following a speech in New Jersey and proceeded to shake hands with members of the public, all while not wearing a mask.
Psaki's diagnosis also comes less than two weeks after after Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas tested positive for COVID-19 just days following an event with the president.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}BIDENS CAUGHT VIOLATING DC MASK MANDATE AT POSH GEORGETOWN RESTAURANT
On Oct. 19, a fully-vaccinated Mayorkas tested positive for COVID-19 as part of routine pre-travel protocols.
President Biden and officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, attend the Annual National Police Officers' Memorial Service at the U.S. Capitol Oct. 16, 2021. (DHS Photo/Benjamin Applebaum)
Three days earlier, Mayorkas had attended the 40th Annual National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service at the U.S. Capitol alongside Biden, where they were photographed just feet apart without masks.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Later that day, Biden and first lady Jill Biden were caught violating Washington, D.C.'s indoor mask mandate by walking through a high-end Georgetown restaurant without masks.
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Psaki brushed off a question about the incident in the restaurant, saying people should pay attention to the president’s policies and "not overly focus on moments in time."