White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany tests positive for COVID-19
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany has tested positive for COVID-19, she announced on Twitter Monday morning, making her the latest senior White House official to contract the coronavirus.
President Trump is still hospitalized at Walter Reed Military Medical Center with COVID-19.
McEnany spoke with reporters at the White House without a mask as recently as Sunday night.
The virus can take between 2 to 14 days to incubate. Other White House officials who have tested positive in the last several days include White House counselor Hope Hicks and Trump bodyguard Nick Luna, as well as other top figures in Trump's orbit. McEnany spoke with reporters outside the White House as recently as Sunday night.
"After testing negative consistently, including every day since Thursday, I tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday morning while experiencing no symptoms," McEnany tweeted. "No reporters, producers, or members of the press are listed as close contacts by the White House Medical Unit. Moreover, I definitively had no knowledge of Hope Hicks' diagnosis prior to holding a White House press briefing on Thursday. As an essential worker, I have worked diligently to provide needed information to the American people at this time. With my recent positive test, I will begin the quarantine process and will continue working on behalf of the American people remotely."
Beyond any health concerns from reporters' possible exposure to McEnany, her positive test is likely to send some reporters into quarantine, further stretching the journalistic workforce of the White House press corps. Three White House journalists tested positive on Friday.
"We wish Kayleigh, the president and everyone else struggling with the virus a swift recovery," the White House Correspondents Association said. "As of this moment we are not aware of additional cases among White House journalists, though we know some are awaiting test results. We strongly encourage our members to continue following CDC guidance on mask-wearing and distancing — especially when at the White House — and urge journalists to seek testing if they were potentially exposed."
