The White House has reportedly identified 17 people as close contacts to President Joe Biden, who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week, including members of Congress and senior staffers to the president.
"None of the staff members have tested positive to date," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Friday. "And all of them are wearing masks around other people."
Along those lines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that none of Biden's congressional close contacts have tested positive for the coronavirus.
While conducting its close-contact research, the White House medical unit reportedly broke down Biden's personal interactions since Wednesday morning.
The list, however, doesn't include first lady Jill Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris, according to White House officials, since they were already classified as "close contacts" to the president.
Biden, who turns 80 in November, has essentially been out of public view during the past two days. On Wednesday, four Democrat lawmakers from Massachusetts, Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren and Reps. Jake Auchincloss and Bill Keating, traveled with Biden on Air Force One.
On that day in Somerset, Massachusetts, Biden delivered his "climate emergency" speech.
In the wake of Thursday's news, White House COVID-19 Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha has had to answer media questions regarding why Biden sometimes wears a mask, but also shakes hands.
Some might view these actions as "close contacts," but that's not how the Biden administration or CDC gauge things.
For example, according to The Hill, the Biden administration's definition of a close contact involves a person who's within six feet of the president for a period longer than 15 minutes.
White House officials, along with the first lady have characterized the president's COVID-19 symptoms as "mild."
Biden reportedly had a fever of 99.4 degrees Thursday evening, according to White House physician Dr. Kevin O'Connor.
The president has also reportedly complained of having a runny nose, occasional cough and general fatigue.
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