Coronavirus Debate: Should Our Elected Leaders Be Tested?

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- There are questions over whether or our local elected leaders should be tested for coronavirus, after members of the White House staff tested positive.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday he has not been tested for COVID-19.

"No, I haven't been tested this whole time," de Blasio said.

This despite visits around the city, including to hospitals, CBS2's Alice Gainer reported.

"There's not a regular testing protocol. There's devotion to trying to be careful. We have a skeleton staff here," de Blasio said.

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

The question came up at the mayor's virtual news conference, in light of the news that one of President Donald Trump's personal valets and Vice President Mike Pence's press secretary have both tested positive.

The vice president said he and the president would now be tested daily.

MORENew York City Begins Training Hundreds Of Contact Tracers, Announces 12 New Testing Sites

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy's office said he was tested once after meeting with the president at the White House, and it was negative.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office did not get back to CBS2.

Gainer asked CBS2's Dr. Max Gomez whether or not the mayor should be getting tested.

"Testing the mayor isn't going to change whether or not he gets infected," Gomez said. "That's governed more by social distancing -- wearing masks, gloves, not touching your face, etc. But if he or someone around him in that skeleton staff does test positive then that would argue for quarantining him from anyone else to keep him from spreading the virus, either to his staff or to the public, such as when he visits hospitals."

Mayor de Blasio also added that he believes there has not been a need for testing on any greater level at city hall.

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