CDC director will self-quarantine after contact with COVID-19 positive case

Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will self-quarantine for two weeks after coming in contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 at the White House.

“CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield has been determined to have had a low risk exposure on May 6 to a person at the White House who has COVID-19. He is feeling fine, and has no symptoms. He will be teleworking for the next two weeks,” a CDC spokesperson told several media outlets. 

The spokesperson added that, “In the event Dr. Redfield must go to the White House to fulfill any responsibilities as part of White House Coronavirus Task Force work, he will follow the safety practices set out by the CDC for those who may have been exposed.”

The CDC did not immediately respond to an inquiry from The Hill. 

Though the CDC did not specify who at the White House Redfield came into contact with, Katie Miller, Vice President Pence’s press secretary, tested positive for the virus on Friday, and one of President Trump’s personal valets tested positive on Thursday. 

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Stephen Hahn also said Saturday he will self-quarantine for the next two weeks after learning that he came in contact with someone who had tested positive for COVID-19.

Like the CDC in the case of Redfield, the FDA did not disclose who Hahn came in contact with, but Politico, citing administration officials, reported that Hahn had come in contact with Miller.