White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on June 8, 2021. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday she has tested positive for COVID-19.
"While I have not had close contact in person with the president or senior members of the White House staff since Wednesday - and tested negative for four days after that last contact -- I am disclosing today's positive test out of an abundance of transparency," Psaki said in a statement. "I last saw the president on Tuesday, when we sat outside more than six-feet apart, and wore masks."
Psaki said she has been vaccinated and is experiencing mild symptoms. She will return to work after a 10-day quarantine following a negative test.
The press secretary dropped off President Joe Biden's ongoing trip in Europe before he departed, citing a family emergency, which is that members of her family have tested positive for the virus.
She is among the highest-ranking administration officials to contract the disease, with a recent precedent being Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
White House press secretary regularly interacts with the president. Biden, who at age 78 is considered in the high-risk group should he be infected with the virus, has received his Pfizer coronavirus vaccine booster shot.
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