© AFP
Jen Psaki, a spokeswoman for US President Joe Biden, has contracted the Covid-19 virus. She will announce it herself on Sunday.
Until Tuesday, Psaki was on an overseas assignment with Joe Biden. In their last contact with him, they both wore face masks. She then waved and flew back to the United States, while Biden went to Rome to meet Pope Francis, among others. She said it was an emergency in her family.
The reason for this appears to be known now: There is an outbreak of Covid-19 in Psaki’s house, and she has also tested positive. She will announce it herself on Sunday. “As soon as I learned that there were infections in my house, I went into quarantine,” she wrote in a statement. Psaki has been tested on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Each time the result was negative. On Sunday it was discovered that she was infected. “Thanks to the vaccine, I only had mild symptoms, which allowed me to continue working from home.”
“I have not had close contact with the President or White House staff since Wednesday,” she wrote in a statement. “I saw the President on Tuesday while we were out far enough away and wearing a mask. I am now sharing my positive test with the world because I want to be transparent.”
Her deputy, Karen-Jean-Pierre, has been on Biden’s foreign trip since Wednesday, so she will likely continue to do so for a while. “I plan to return to work after ten days in quarantine if the test result is negative,” Psaki wrote.
