Biden tests negative for COVID-19 on Wednesday, will test again before leaving for India

President Biden tested negative for COVID-19 on Wednesday and will test again before he heads to India the following day for the Group of 20 (G20) summit, days after first lady Jill Biden tested positive for the coronavirus.

The president’s negative test Wednesday morning follows negative tests Monday night and Tuesday.

“He is not experiencing any symptoms, which of course is a good thing,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

“The first lady is doing well [and] remains in Delaware, which is also a good thing,” she added, after telling reporters the day prior that Jill Biden was experiencing “mild symptoms.”

Jean-Pierre said Biden will be testing “regularly” as he heads to India and Vietnam and that the White House will let reporters know about negative tests, but she didn’t outline what the testing cadence will be.

“All travelers who are going to India will be tested, including the president,” she said, adding “there’s no change” when asked if the trip is definitely set to happen. 

Biden is slated to leave Washington on Thursday afternoon for the G20 summit in New Delhi, where he will stay for three days and then travel to Vietnam to meet with leaders there.

Jean-Pierre said she had no contingency plans to announce in the event the president tested positive.

The press secretary Wednesday had told reporters that Biden will be masking while indoors and while around people, in alignment with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance. Biden later that day awarded the Medal of Honor to a Vietnam-era Army helicopter pilot, and he took off his mask during a portion of the event.

When questioned on the lack of masking, Jean-Pierre said Biden had tested negative a few hours before the event and left the event when there was a pause in the program to minimize being around attendees.