Doctor: Pence not close enough to Trump to require quarantine

Vice President Pence does not need to quarantine after President Trump tested positive for COVID-19, his physician said Friday, saying Pence is not considered a “close contact.”

The vice president’s office released a memo from Dr. Jesse Schonau, physician to the vice president, reiterating that Pence tested negative earlier in the day for the coronavirus.

“Under the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control [and Prevention] (CDC), the Vice President is not considered a close contact with any individuals who have tested positive for COVID, including President Donald J. Trump. Vice President Mike Pence does not need to quarantine,” the memo states. “Vice President Mike Pence remains in good health and is free to go about his normal activities.”

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. 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. 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 that he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for COVID-19, which has infected more than 7 million in the U.S. and killed more than 205,000 people here. He is said to have mild symptoms, though he has not been heard from since sharing his diagnosis.

Pence, who leads the White House coronavirus task force, subbed in for Trump on a scheduled call with governors on Friday afternoon.