Trump, wife go into quarantine after aide tests positive for COVID-19

Washington, October 2, 2020

United States President Donald Trump said today that he and his wife Melania Trump were going into quarantine after one of his closest aides in the White Hosue, Hope Hicks, tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

"Hope Hicks, who has been working so hard without even taking a small break, has just tested positive for Covid 19. Terrible!" Trump said on micro-blogging site Twitter.

"The First Lady and I are waiting for our test results. In the meantime, we will begin our quarantine process!" he added.

According to media reports, Hicks had travelled with Trump on Air Force One to Cleveland for the first presidential debate on Tuesday and to Minnesota for a rally on Wednesday.

IANS adds:

Earlier, in a Fox News interview late Thursday night, Trump appeared unsure about what his top aide's positive test meant for him.

"I just went out with a test and the First Lady just went out with a test also," he said.

"So whether we quarantine or whether we have it, I don't know."

Also in a statement, a White House official said contact tracing has been done, "and the appropriate notifications and recommendations have been made", The Hill news website reported

It was not immediately clear if Trump planned to self-quarantine out of an abundance of caution.

He has events scheduled for Friday in Florida and Saturday in Wisconsin.

Hicks is the latest White House aide to test positive for the virus which has so far infected 7,277,352 people in the US and killed 207,791 others, making it the worst-hit country in the world.

National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien had tested positive, as well as a White House valet who serves the President.

Katie Miller, the Vice President's communications director and the wife of Trump senior adviser Stephen Miller, was also infected.

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