(Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)
Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, will start a "modified quarantine" after a White House personnel he reportedly came in "low risk" contact with was found to have contracted the disease, Fauci disclosed to CNN late Saturday.
Fauci said he underwent testing for Covid-19 on Friday and the result showed he did not have the virus. However, Facui will still be subjected to a daily analysis for the coronavirus.
Fauci will stay at home, work via video conference and continuously wear a face mask for 14 days. During this time, Fauci disclosed that he could go to his NIH office but he'll be the only person there.
Fauci also stated he would wear a mask and observe social distancing if he is asked to go to the White House or appear at a Congressional hearing. He is currently expected to appear before a committee of the Senate which will convene on Tuesday.
Fauci is the third top-ranking member of the pandemic task force to be placed in isolation. Robert Redfield, chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is also expected to isolate after being exposed to a White House assistant who tested positive for coronavirus, two officials in the administration told NBC News, as is Stephen Hahn, Food and Drugs Administration director.
Redfield and Hahn will testify from self-quarantine via videoconference on Tuesday before a Senate panel on reopening the US economy. Fauci's quarantine has been changed to "modified" as he still plans to testify in person before the Senate body, although that could change.
Officials said they will not identify the person with whom Redfield or Hahn had an exposure with. However, Katie Miller, press secretary to US Vice President Mike Pence, tested positive on Friday. She is often known to be present in the White House coronavirus task force meetings.
In the last week, several White House employees and members of the Secret Service tested positive for Covid-19. A U.S. military aide appointed to the White House as a valet for President Trump was among those who were found to have contracted the virus. Following the news of the aide's positive findings, both Trump and Pence were again screened for coronavirus.
White House spokesperson Judd Deere repeated a statement released earlier in the week when asked if Trump and Pence should self-isolate, saying the President's doctor and staff are taking every step to keep the commander in chief, his family, and the White House safe and sound.
