California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his family went into quarantine after learning three of his children were exposed to a state highway patrol officer who tested positive for the coronavirus.
Citing the governor’s office, the Los Angeles Times said Newsom and his family learned about the possible exposure Friday night and subsequently tested negative for the virus on Sunday morning. They will continue to get tested regularly.
Newsom tweeted the news Sunday night, adding that neither he nor his wife had any direct contact with the officer.
“Thankfully, the entire family tested negative today,” Newsom said. “However, consistent with local guidance, we will be quarantining for 14 days.”
Late Friday evening, @JenSiebelNewsom and I learned that 3 of our children had been exposed to an officer from the California Highway Patrol who had tested positive for COVID-19.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) November 23, 2020
Before the most recent exposure, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that one of Newsom’s children already began quarantining because of a potential exposure at their private school, which is conducting in-person learning. The rest of the family did not quarantine after the child’s initial exposure.
The governor came under heavy criticism earlier this month after he was caught attending a birthday party for one of his political advisers. The event exceeded the maximum number of households recommended to gather during the pandemic.
News outlets later posted photos of Newsom, his wife, and several others not wearing masks online, showing them dining at an upscale French restaurant that had brought 12 people together.
The governor said he regretted his behavior and that he should have skipped the event, vowing to model better behavior during the pandemic.
California has been one of the strictest states when it comes to public health measures. Newsom doubled down on issuing precautions ahead of the Thanksgiving season, limiting gatherings to no more than three households and asked people to wear masks between eating and drinking at dinners. The governor has also instituted a curfew for much of the state.
California’s daily cases have been surging, exceeding more than 13,000 on several days last week. Overall, the state has had more than 1 million cases and more than 18,000 deaths related to COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.
