SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – President Joe Biden will be wearing a mask around the White House for the time being — after first lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday night — despite the president testing negative.
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However, some have criticized him for not following the masking rules exactly.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre shared the news of Biden masking with reporters during a briefing on Tuesday. Jean-Pierre also noted that the couple was last together on Monday night and that Biden was “not experiencing any symptoms” at this moment.
“As far as the steps that he’s taking since the president was with the first lady yesterday -- he will be masking while indoors and around people in alignment with CDC guidance,” Jean-Pierre said.
Jean-Pierre went on to say that Biden will remove his mask only when he is safely distanced from others indoors and while outside.
“The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines recommended combination of masking testing and monitoring for symptoms. The president is doing all of that, in close consultation with his physician. There are currently no updates to the White House COVID-19 protocols,” Jean-Pierre said.
As for the first lady, Jean-Pierre said that Jill Biden was experiencing mild symptoms and will remain in Delaware for the week.
Biden wore his mask into a Medal of Honor ceremony on Tuesday afternoon.
However, after taking it off to speak at the event inside the White House, he didn’t put it back on while standing next to Army helicopter pilot Larry Taylor, 81, or while putting the medal around his neck.
The president has a busy week coming up as he is scheduled to head to the G-20 summit in India on Thursday and then stop in Vietnam.
Out of an abundance of caution, Biden will be tested for the virus at a “regular cadence,” the White House shared.
As for the G-20 summit, national security adviser Jake Sullivan shared that the administration was able to handle COVID at the meeting in the past.
“We have a long experience now from the early days the administration in managing for situations in which COVID plays a role in summits and, you know, we’ve seen various leaders at various times participate virtually in events,” Sullivan said.