According to AFP, the US State Department announced on December 16, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is undergoing quarantine procedures after close contact with a COVID-19 infected person.
“For security reasons, we cannot disclose the identity of the Secretary of State we have contacted,” the State Department spokesman announced in Washington.
Pompeo “ran the test and got negative results” the spokesman said. “Under the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Secretary of State Pompeo will conduct quarantine. He is also being closely monitored by the State Department’s medical team,” the announcement stressed.
It is not clear under what circumstances Secretary Pompeo had close contact with a Covid-19 infected person. Previously, Mr. Pompeo canceled his attendance and spoke at an event held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on December 15.
While Trump regularly appears in public without a mask, Pompeo often wears a mask on his overseas trips.
The United States is currently the country most affected by the epidemic, with the number of people infected with COVID-19 reaching more than 17.3 million, including more than 314,000 deaths.