President Biden Testing Regularly For Covid After First Lady Contracts Virus
First lady Dr. Jill Biden tested positive for covid on Monday night after experiencing "mild symptoms." President Joe Biden has so far tested negative for the virus but will be screened regularly as he prepares to leave for the G20 summit in India.
CBS News:
First Lady Jill Biden Tests Positive For COVID-19
First lady Dr. Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday evening, the White House said. Biden, 72, was experiencing mild symptoms at the time of the positive test, the first lady's communications director, Elizabeth Alexander, said in a statement. She plans to remain at her home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. President Biden was administered a COVID-19 test after the first lady's positive result — he tested negative, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. (Dev, 9/4)
Reuters:
Jill Biden Positive For COVID, President Biden Tests Negative -White House
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Biden’s foreign travel could be affected. But Biden's official week-ahead schedule, released shortly after the announcement of the first lady's diagnosis, showed him traveling to New Delhi on Thursday to attend the G20 summit. Biden is scheduled to fly to Hanoi on Sunday. (9/5)
Conspiracy theorists pounce on the news —
Newsweek:
Jill Biden's COVID Test Sparks Conspiracy Theory: 'All Part Of The Plan'
In August, arch conspiracy theorist Alex Jones predicted that air passengers would have to wear face masks from mid-October, before "a return to the full COVID protocol" by December. There is currently no evidence to suggest this will be the case. A Transportation Security Administration spokesperson denied the claims to the Associated Press, while a CDC spokesperson described them as "utterly false." "HE WAS RIGHT," Eric Spracklen, a conservative digital strategist, said on Monday evening. "Jill Biden's positive test is all part of the plan." (Phillips, 9/5)
