Vice President Mike Pence doesn’t have to quarantine in the wake of President Donald Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis because Pence isn’t considered a “close contact,” the vice president’s physician announced Friday afternoon.
In a statement, Dr. Jesse Schonau said Pence tested negative on Friday morning.
“Under the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the vice president is not considered a close contact with any individuals who have tested positive for COVID, including President Donald J. Trump,” Schonau said in a statement. “Vice President Mike Pence does not need to quarantine.”
“Vice President Mike Pence remains in good health and is free to go about his normal activities,” the short statement concluded.
Pence attended last Saturday's Rose Garden event where Trump announced he was nominating Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Multiple attendees, including Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and the president of the University of Notre Dame, have since tested positive for the virus, The Hill reported. Attendees sat side-by-side, and only a handful of guests wore masks.
The vice president was also in the Rose Garden for Trump's event on Monday touting the administration's progress on COVID-19 testing. But the vice president used a separate lectern from Trump to deliver remarks.
The two were not seen together the rest of the week, The Hill reported. Pence campaigned in Pennsylvania while Trump attended the first presidential debate in Ohio. The vice president then traveled to Georgia on Wednesday while the president went to Minnesota, and Pence was in Iowa and Nebraska on Thursday.
The president revealed early Friday he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for COVID-19, which has infected more than 7 million Americans and killed more than 205,000 people in the United States.
According to The Hill, Pence, who leads the White House coronavirus task force, stood in for Trump on a scheduled call with governors on Friday afternoon.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.