A senior official of the Trump administration has tested positive for the coronavirus after arriving from a trip to Europe.
This has renewed concerns over the possible spread of the virus in the White House and in the foreign offices the senior official had visited.
The State Department's director of policy planning, Peter Berkowitz, was part of a U.S. delegation that conducted several meetings in Europe earlier in the month. He, along with other Trump administration officials, met with their counterparts at the Foreign Office and at No. 10 in London before his return.
Before their London visit, the delegation also met with Hungarian State Secretary Peter Sztaray in Budapest and Deputy State Secretary Ferenc Dancs in Paris. Berkowitz reportedly tested positive shortly after his return to the U.S.
Sources who claimed to have been part of the delegation told reporters that Berkowitz had been inconsistent in following social distancing guidelines and mask-wearing during the meetings. The State Department issued a response to the allegations and denied the delegation was lax in following health protocols.
"During all of director Berkowitz's engagements abroad, he consistently followed the mask-wearing protocol demonstrated by his counterparts from the host government," the State Department mentioned in a statement.
A State Department representative told reporters their office takes the threat posed by the pandemic very seriously and all of its employees strictly follow health protocols, particularly during diplomatic engagements.
The Trump administration said that it was now in contact with government personnel and other people involved in the meetings in all three countries. So far, Hungary has reported no new cases related to the trip. Officials in the two other countries have yet to issue a statement regarding the matter.
Both the U.S. and Europe continue to report elevated cases of the virus. Over the past week, Europe has reported more than 1.23 million new cases.
