Published 10:51 IST, March 10th 2020
US: Member of Trump's team attending CPAC might have spread Coronavirus
An attendee at a recent political conference at CPAC where US President Donald Trump was also present tested positive for COVID-19, according to the reports.
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Growing concerns about the spread of novel coronavirus have begun to worry the White House after an attendee at a recent political conference where US President Donald Trump was also present tested positive for COVID-19. Trump was reportedly photographed shaking hands with Matt Schlapp, the chairman of the American Conservative Union, who confirmed that he had been in close contact with an infected man during the Conservative Political Action Conference last month. But on the other hand, the White House has said that Trump was never in direct contact with the infected person and does not have any symptoms.
We still have just one person who came to @CPAC w Corona. He is being treated. NO NEW CASES. Department of Health has not called for any restrictions or quarantines. The key is symptoms. If you don’t have any that’s great news. If concerned check your temp. @cpac community is 👍🏻
— Matt Schlapp (@mschlapp) March 9, 2020
CPAC, which today confirmed an attendee was infected with coronavirus, is where then-acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney accused the press of hyping coronavirus, which he described as a media ploy to try to bring down Trump.
— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) March 8, 2020
600 confirmed cases
Trump reportedly said on March 7 that he is not concerned at all when asked about the potential threat posed to the White House by the Coronavirus. He also vowed to keep holding the political rallies even after the top public health officials within his own government have urged millions of Americans to avoid large gatherings and major events to reduce the risk of being infected.
Despite having more than 600 confirmed cases in the United States, 2020 Presidential hopefuls Biden, Trump, and Sanders will continue their rallies as planned.
We now know there was at least one person at CPAC with coronavirus 😬pic.twitter.com/Q1HVuXsJUE
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 8, 2020
Woof. https://t.co/hj3lASiXsb
— Jeffrey Wright (@jfreewright) March 8, 2020
According to public health experts, large scale rallies are breeding grounds for potentially deadly illnesses. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on March 8 claimed that his campaign was considering when it would be prudent to cancel large campaign rallies.
(With inputs from agencies)
10:51 IST, March 10th 2020