US: 3 members of White House virus task force in quarantine

Three members of the White House coronavirus task force, including Dr Anthony Fauci, placed themselves in quarantine after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.

Also quarantining are Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Stephen Hahn.

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a leading member of the task force, has become nationally known for his simple and direct explanations to the public about the coronavirus and COVID-19, the disease it causes.

Fauci's institute said he has tested negative for COVID-19 and will continue to be tested regularly. It added that he is considered at "relatively low risk" based on the degree of his exposure.

Redfield will be "teleworking for the next two weeks" after it was determined he had a "low risk exposure" to a person at the White House, the CDC said in a statement Saturday evening.

Just a few hours earlier, the Food and Drug Administration confirmed that Hahn had come in contact with someone who tested positive and was in self-quarantine for the next two weeks.

He tested negative for the virus.