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Media signatureSenator Mike Lee, who later tested positive for Covid-19, saw him hug other participants
U.S. President Donald Trump’s tweet on Friday confirming that he and his wife tested positive for coronavirus shocked the world.
With Mr Trump in the hospital now, there are growing questions about how the couple was exposed to the virus.
A crowded rose garden event takes center stage – the ceremony last week at which Mr Trump officially announced his nomination for the Conservative Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. The World Health Organization says it usually takes around five to six days for symptoms to appear after contracting the virus.
The footage of the scene showed only a few participants wearing masks. The seats weren’t two meters apart while some clapped fists, shook hands, or even hugged in greeting.
Eight participants have now been confirmed to have the virus – although it is unclear where and when they discovered it. Aside from the President and First Lady, they are:
- Ex-Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie announced that he had the virus on Saturday
- Kellyanne Conway, who resigned as senior advisor to Mr Trump in August, confirmed on Friday that she had tested positive
- Mike Lee, a Republican Senator from Utah, confirmed his test positive on Twitter, as did the Senator from North Carolina Thom Tillis
- The University of Notre Dame confirmed its President Reverend John Jenkinsalso has Covid-19
- One unnamed journalist Those who attended the event also have the virus, according to the White House Correspondents Association
Mr and Mrs Trump tested positive after the president’s communications director Hope Hicks contracted the virus. She did not take part in the rose garden event.
The guidelines published by the Centers for Disease Control recommend that people keep a distance of two meters between people outside your home, and cover your nose and mouth when others are nearby.
Dozens of lawmakers, family members, and White House staff were in attendance. Those who tested positive sat in the front rows of the crowd.
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Those who tested positive sat in the front rows of the crowded event
The President stood next to Amy Coney Barrett as she delivered her speech. Ms. Barrett tested negative on Friday, according to a White House spokeswoman.
Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen also tested negative. Mr. Pence sat across from Ms. Trump at the ceremony.
- What if Trump got too sick to be president?
- How will this affect the US elections?
Attorney General William Barr sat in the same row as the Vice President. A Justice Department spokesman announced Friday that Mr. Barr had tested negative.
Some of the events last Saturday also took place inside. A CNN reporter tweeted a photo of people in the White House.
According to coronavirus trackers from Johns Hopkins University, 7.3 million people in the United States have contracted the virus, the highest number in the world.
The country also has the highest death toll, with more than 208,000 dead.
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Media signaturePresident Trump is seven days before his Covid-positive test
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