House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tested positive for Covid-19, a day after appearing unmasked at a White House event with President Joe Biden.
Speaker Pelosi received a positive test result and is currently asymptomatic, her spokesman Drew Hammill said on Thursday in a tweet. He said she had tested negative earlier in the week.
“The Speaker is fully vaccinated and boosted, and is thankful for the robust protection the vaccine has provided,” Hammill said.
After testing negative this week, Speaker Pelosi received a positive test result for COVID-19 and is currently asymptomatic. The Speaker is fully vaccinated and boosted, and is thankful for the robust protection the vaccine has provided. (1/2)
— Drew Hammill (@Drew_Hammill) April 7, 2022
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Speaker Pelosi will “quarantine consistent with CDC guidance, and encourages everyone to get vaccinated, boosted and test regularly,” he said.
The 82-year-old Democratic leader’s announcement came ahead of her weekly press appearance on Capitol Hill, which was abruptly called off. The House is set to start a two-week spring recess.
Speaker Pelosi also postponed a planned congressional delegation trip to Asia she was scheduled to lead.
Washington has experienced a rush of new Covid-19 cases as restrictions have lifted and more events and gatherings are happening across the city.
On Wednesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced positive tests. The officials were among more than a dozen attendees of the Saturday night Gridiron Club dinner to test positive for the virus. Speaker Pelosi did not attend the dinner, her spokesman said.
Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser also announced on Thursday that she had tested positive for Covid-19 and would “work at home while following isolation protocols”.
The Capitol reopened last week to some public tours for the first time since it was closed two years ago with the onset of the pandemic.