A White House staffer who has been in ‘close contact’ with the president tested positive for COVID-19

• A White House staffer who was in “close contact” with the president last week tested positive for COVID-19.
• President Biden has tested negative on Monday and will be administered another test on Wednesday.
• The White House clarified that “close contact” is defined by guidance from the CDC.

A White House staffer who has been in “close contact” with President Joe Biden on Friday has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a press release Monday.

The White House clarified that “close contact” is defined by guidance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention — within 6 feet of someone for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.

Biden tested negative on Monday and will be administered a second test on Wednesday.

“On Monday morning, a mid-level staff member, who does not regularly have contact with the president, received a positive test result for a COVID-19 test,” according to the press release. “Three days earlier, on Friday, that staff member had spent approximately 30 minutes in proximity to the President on Air Force One, on the way from Orange, South Carolina to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.”

“This member is fully vaccinated and boosted, and tested negative prior to boarding Air Force One, as is required for everyone traveling with the president,” the press release continued. “This staff member did not begin to experience symptoms until Sunday, and was tested on Monday.”