Pastor who attended White House event has COVID-19

Pastor Greg Laurie of the Harvest Christian Fellowship megachurch shared on Monday that he has tested positive for COVID-19, making him the latest attendee at a recent White House event to contract the disease.

Laurie was a guest at the Sept. 26 Rose Garden ceremony for President Trump’s nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the Sept. 18 death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Several other guests and White House officials, including Trump, have since tested positive for the coronavirus.

The pastor also accompanied Vice President Pence to several prayer rallies around that time.

In a video posted on Twitter, Laurie reported experiencing fatigue and a change in his sense of taste but said he felt fine overall, adding that he has been quarantining since receiving his test results three days earlier.

I tested positive for COVID-19 last Friday. I have been in quarantine since then. My wife Cathe is also in quarantine with me. I am happy to report that all members of my family have tested negative for COVID. Read more here:https://t.co/X8zQAmVGuO pic.twitter.com/90azc48rel

— Greg Laurie (@greglaurie) October 5, 2020

“I just wish that in a time like this we could not politicize this something like this and showed compassion to people that are struggling with this. It’s real,” Laurie said in the video.

White House officials have come under criticism for their lax approach to preventive measures such as practicing social distancing and wearing masks. Trump has also mocked his Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, for his consistent use of masks to help guard against the coronavirus.