By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Monday he had tested positive for COVID-19 and was experiencing mild symptoms.
“I plan to work remotely while isolating according to CDC guidelines, and look forward to when I can safely return to the office and the road,” Buttigieg said on Twitter https://twitter.com/SecretaryPete. A number of U.S. cabinet secretaries have tested positive for COVID-19.
The White House said President Joe Biden is not a close contact of Buttigieg. The Transportation Department said it was “following (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidance as it relates to quarantining and contact tracing. The Secretary will participate in events virtually where possible.”
Buttigieg last week attended the Mackinac Policy Conference in Michigan. A spokeswoman for the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce that sponsored the event said all 1,347 attendees and support staff submitted required proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test and said the chamber was aware of 15 individuals testing positive in the days immediately following the event.
A spokesman for Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said she had tested negative on Monday as did Representative Dan Kildee. Both attended events with Buttigieg last week in Michigan.
Other cabinet secretaries who have tested positive since April include Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.
(Reporting by David ShepardsonEditing by Tomasz Janowski)
