Dr. Anthony Fauci introduced a new quarantine concept and said that he will be in a “modified quarantine” post “low risk” exposure to the White House staff who have tested positive for the coronavirus.
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told CNN about his plan while indicating that he will not be doing full quarantine like FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn and CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield, who will be self-quarantining himself for two weeks after he came in contact with a COVID-19 positive person at the White House. The names of the infected people they were exposed to have still not been revealed.
Fauci explained the term “modified quarantine” and said that he will be staying at home and teleworking while wearing a mask continuously for 14 days. The COVID-19 task force member added that he might also visit the office at the National Institutes of Health where he will be the only person present. He confirmed that the tests for the infection would be conducted on a daily basis while also referring to the one already done on Saturday, which was negative.
Also, Fauci said that, even if he is called to the White House or Capitol Hill, he will be there taking every precaution. The COVID-19 task force member is expected to be there for a testification at a coronavirus-related Senate hearing next week, which will also be virtually attended by Redfield and Hahn via video conferencing as confirmed by Senator Lamar Alexander, Saturday.
With the two cases directly or indirectly linked to the White House, including the case of White House’s immigration adviser and speechwriter Stephen Miller’s wife Katie Miller, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has sent out “Strong Precautions We Are Taking” email to all staff members, Friday, to let them know about the preventive measures to be taken into account to control the spread of the virus.
On Thursday, however, White House staff received different memos that informed them to be prepared for questions to be asked upon entry into the White House, which would include their symptoms, temperature checks, etc. Surprisingly, none of the memos contained any specific point to make wearing a mask mandatory for the staffer.