White House press secretary Jen Psaki fielded numerous questions Thursday about President Joe Biden’s possible exposure to coronavirus and maintained that despite being roughly seven feet away from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for 15 minutes and receiving a kiss on the cheek, he has not been a “close contact” to any of the lawmakers or members of his Cabinet to contract the virus this week.
Psaki repeatedly referred back to exposure guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is “15 minutes of contact within a set period of time, and within six feet.”
“It did not meet that bar,” she responded when asked specifically about Pelosi’s kiss. “It does not mean that no one will get COVID around the world who does not have a close contact. It just means we are defining for all of you whether the president and their interaction met the definition of the CDC of having a close contact.”
Pelosi attended two events at the White House this week: a bill signing ceremony on Wednesday that lasted roughly 15 minutes and a longer commemoration of the Affordable Care Act that lasted close to an hour. She visited and embraced Biden after both events had ended.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Attorney General Merrick Garland both tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday.
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You can watch Thursday’s entire briefing below.
