Vice President Mike Pence has been keeping his distance but is not quarantining after his spokeswoman tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Three people familiar with the situation told Bloomberg on Sunday that the vice president has stayed away from the White House following his spokeswoman Katie Miller’s positive COVID-19 test on Friday. He did not attend a meeting with the president or military officials on Saturday and has been staying at his home at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., but there is “no restriction” on his activities.
An administration official told the Associated Press that the vice president is “voluntarily limiting his exposure,” and another official told NBC News he was putting “a little distance” between himself and others over the weekend. He has repeatedly tested negative for COVID-19, is following the advice of medical professionals, and plans to return to work on Monday after laying “a little low.”
“Vice President Pence will continue to follow the advice of the White House Medical Unit and is not in quarantine,” Pence spokesman Devin O’Malley responded to the reports. “Additionally, Vice President Pence has tested negative every single day and plans to be at the White House tomorrow.”
The New York Times reported hours earlier that the administration had no plans to separate Pence and President Trump amid an outbreak among staff, which has also infected one of the president’s valets and at least 11 Secret Service members.
After exposure to staffers infected with the virus, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield are all self-quarantining.
