Ivanka Trump works from home after interacting with official who tested for coronavirus

Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter and senior adviser, worked from home on Friday “out of an abundance of caution” after an Australian official she recently met with tested positive for coronavirus, the White House said.

The White House medical staff has advised Ivanka Trump that she does not need to self-quarantine, White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere said. The spokesman said that the individual Trump met with was exhibiting no symptoms.

News surfaced early Friday morning that Australian minister for home affairs Peter Dutton had tested positive for COVID-19. Dutton traveled to Washington, D.C., last week and met with Ivanka Trump, Attorney General William Barr and other officials on March 5.

“The White House is aware that Mr. Dutton tested positive for COVID-19. He was asymptomatic during the interaction,” Deere said in a statement.

“Exposures from the case were assessed and the White House Medical Unit confirmed, in accordance with CDC guidance, that Ivanka is exhibiting no symptoms and does not need to self-quarantine. She worked from home today out of an abundance of caution until guidance was given,” Deere continued.

Dutton participated in a news conference with Barr, acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and ministers from the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand last Thursday. He later shared a photo of himself with Barr, Ivanka Trump, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway and others.

Dutton said in a statement Friday that he woke up in the morning with a temperature and sore throat and was tested for the coronavirus, which yielded a positive test result. He said he had been admitted to the hospital on the advice of the government’s health department. 

Conway said Friday that White House medical staff advised her she was not exhibiting symptoms and didn’t need to self-quarantine. 

“White House Medical Unit (WHMU) informed me earlier that Mr. Dutton was asymptomatic during the interaction,” Conway tweeted. “Exposures from the case were assessed and the WHMU confirmed, in accordance with CDC guidance, that I exhibited no symptoms & need not self-quarantine.”

— Updated at 5:38 p.m.