Three Virus Task Force members from White House along with Dr Anthony Fauci (Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a leading member of the task force) have put themselves under self isolation after a contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, another stark reminder that not even one of the nation’s most secure buildings is immune from the virus.
Fauci has become nationally known for his simple and direct explanations to the public about the coronavirus and COVID-19, the disease it causes. Fauci’s institute said he has tested negative for COVID-19 and will continue to be tested regularly. It added that he is considered at “relatively low risk” based on the degree of his exposure, and that he would be “taking appropriate precautions” to mitigate the risk to personal contacts while still carrying out his duties.
While he will stay at home and telework, Fauci will go to the White House if called and take every precaution, the institute said.
Also quarantined along with Dr Fauci are, Dr. Robert Redfield, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Stephen Hahn.
Redfield will be “teleworking for the next two weeks” after it was determined he had a “low risk exposure” to a person at the White House, the CDC said in a statement Saturday evening.
Just a few hours earlier, the Food and Drug Administration confirmed that Hahn had come in contact with someone who tested positive and was in self-quarantine for the next two weeks. He tested negative for the virus.
