White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said she tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday after returning from Europe with President Joe Biden, in the latest infiltration of the coronavirus into the West Wing’s protective bubble around Biden.
Jean-Pierre, the principal deputy press secretary, said she last saw Biden “during a socially distanced meeting” on Saturday. Biden, because he is fully vaccinated, is not considered a “close contact” under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
Jean-Pierre traveled to Belgium and Poland with Biden after press secretary Jen Psaki tested positive for the virus last week.
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Biden returned to the White House early Sunday morning from the four-day trip that saw him work to bolster the NATO alliance after Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine.
Jean-Pierre said she was experiencing “mild symptoms,” adding that “in alignment with White House COVID-19 protocols, I will work from home and plan to return to work in person at the conclusion of a five-day isolation period and a negative test.”
The White House said Biden, 79, last tested negative for COVID-19 before returning to the U.S. from the trip as part of required pre-arrival testing.
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