Despite spending an hour with Nancy Pelosi in two days before she tested positive for COVID-19, including an embrace and a kiss on the cheek, the White House argued on Thursday that President Joe Biden was not in close contact with the House speaker.
President Biden tested negative for the COVID-19 on Wednesday evening after receiving his second booster dose of the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE vaccine last week. He won't wear a mask for 10 days since he didn't spend enough time with Pelosi, according to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, because he wasn't judged to have spent enough time around her.
Pelosi Kisses Biden on Cheek Before the COVID-19 Diagnosis
After testing negative earlier this week, Pelosi, 82, tested positive, according to spokesperson Drew Hammill in a tweet. He stated that she is properly vaccinated and boosted and that she will isolate according to CDC guidelines.
The house speaker's COVID-19 infection is the latest in a string of exposures and illnesses that have pushed the virus closer to the president. On Wednesday, Pelosi stood by Biden's right elbow as he signed a bill into law concerning the Postal Service. She attended an event commemorating the Affordable Care Act the day before, and thereafter, she joined Biden and former President Barack Obama on stage, where she and Biden exchanged an embrace and a kiss on the cheek, Bloomberg via MSN reported.
The 82-year-old Democratic leader's declaration came only hours before her scheduled weekly press conference on Capitol Hill was canceled. The House of Representatives is about to begin a two-week spring break. Pelosi also canceled a trip to Asia with a congressional group she was supposed to lead.
As limits have been relaxed and more events and gatherings are taking place around Washington, D.C., there has been a surge in new COVID-19 cases.
Atty. General Merrick Garland and Commerce Sec. Gina Raimondo both declared encouraging results on Wednesday. The officials were among the people who tested positive for the virus during the Gridiron Club dinner on Saturday night. According to Pelosi's spokeswoman, she did not attend the dinner.
Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington, D.C., likewise said on Thursday that she tested positive for COVID-19 and will work from home while adhering to isolation guidelines.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is among the legislators who reported positive test results and are isolated. Collins' office reported her positive test late Thursday, just hours after the Senate voted to confirm Supreme Court candidate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, as per Washington Post.
According to the CDC, those who have been vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19 are considerably less likely to experience the negative effects of the virus, such as serious illness or death, than those who have not been vaccinated.
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Psaki Says Interaction Did Not Meet CDC's "close contact bar"
President Joe Biden was not in direct communication with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who tested positive for COVID-19, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Thursday.
Close contact, according to CDC standards, is defined as being within six feet for a total of 15 minutes over 24 hours. Psaki spent the bulk of Thursday's news conference supporting the White House assertion that Biden was not in close contact with the speaker and constantly detailing the safeguards in place to prevent Biden from becoming sick. Psaki stated that the White House has stringent rules in place to safeguard the president and other top officials.
However, Psaki was unable to tell if Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson tested negative for covid on Thursday. In the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Jackson joined Biden to witness the Senate vote to confirm her to the Supreme Court. Biden and Jackson are seen holding hands and cuddling in photos.
On Friday, the White House will hold a memorial service for Jackson in the Rose Garden. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Kamala Harris' communications director, Jamal Simmons, were among those who tested positive for COVID-19 during indoor events on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to Daily Mail.
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