Staff member in Vice Presidents office in the U.S. tests positive for coronavirus

A staff member in Vice President Mike Pence’s office has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, Pence’s spokesperson said Friday evening.

“‪This evening we were notified that a member of the Office of the Vice President tested positive for the Coronavirus. Neither President Trump nor Vice President Pence had close contact with the individual,” said Katie Miller. “Further contact tracing is being conducted in accordance with CDC guidelines.”

Pence has been the Trump administration’s point person on coordinating the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

While the staffer is the closest confirmed case to Pence that is publicly known, it isn’t his first potential brush with the virus.

At least two people tested positive for the coronavirus after attending the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s Policy Conference in Washington, which was attended by Pence as well as several lawmakers and aides.

Both Pence and President Donald Trump attended the Conservative Political Action Conference last month, where a high-profile attendee also tested positive for the coronavirus. Interactions with that attendee sent multiple Republican lawmakers into self-quarantine in the weeks following the conference.

There is no indication that either Trump or Pence “met with or were in close proximity to the attendee” at the conference, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement earlier this month.