White House outbreak: Dozens of Donald Trump’s Secret Service officers infected with coronavirus
- It was reported that at least 30 uniformed Secret Service officers recently tested positive for the virus
- The outbreak was partly linked to a series of Trump rallies before the November 3 election, said The Washington Post
Dozens of US Secret Service officers assigned to protect President Donald Trump have been sidelined by Covid-19, The Washington Post and The New York Times reported on Friday as the coronavirus outbreak spread at the White House.
Two US government sources familiar with the situation confirmed that Secret Service officers had tested positive for the virus but did not provide a specific number. One of the sources said a larger number of officers who had not tested positive had gone into quarantine as a protective measure.
The Post did not say how many officers tested positive for the virus versus those who had to isolate because of close contact with an infected colleague. It said about 10 per cent of the core security team had been sidelined.
The New York Times reported that at least 30 uniformed Secret Service officers recently tested positive for the virus, and that around 60 were asked by the agency to quarantine themselves.
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Secret Service representatives declined to give a tally of officers affected. White House spokesman Judd Deere referred questions to the Secret Service, but told the Post separately that the administration took every case seriously.
