Vice-President Mike Pence is not in quarantine and plans to be at the White House on Monday, a spokesman said on Sunday, despite media reports that Pence was self-isolating after a staffer tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
“Vice-President Pence will continue to follow the advice of the White House Medical Unit and is not in quarantine,” spokesman Devin O’Malley said in a statement.
“Additionally, Vice-President Pence has tested negative every single day and plans to be at the White House tomorrow,” the statement added.
The Trump administration has no plans to keep President Donald Trump and Pence apart, a person familiar with the matter said on Sunday, as concerns rise about the spread of the coronavirus within the White House.
Trump told reporters on on Friday that Pence’s spokeswoman, Katie Miller, had tested positive for the virus, a day after news that Trump’s personal valet also had tested positive.
Trump said he himself had not been in contact with the spokeswoman, who is married to White House senior adviser Stephen Miller, but that she had spent time with the vice president.
Both Trump, 73, and Pence, 60, have drawn criticism for not donning face coverings despite a recommendation from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to do so in certain public settings.
