A crew member on former Vice President Joe Biden’s chartered campaign airplane who flew to Ohio on Monday and Florida on Tuesday has tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus.
“Around noon on Thursday, October 15th, we learned – as part of our contact tracing of the crew member on Senator Harris’ plane that tested positive for COVID last night – that an administrative member of the Aviation company that charters Vice President Biden’s aircraft tested positive for COVID-19,” Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement.
JUST IN: A crew member on @JoeBiden’s campaign plane has also tested positive for #COVID19. But they’ve determined the crew member “was over 50 feet from VP Biden at all times,” they’ve determined “there is no need for the Vice President to quarantine.” Stmt from @jomalleydillon: pic.twitter.com/yXRRAtHI8g
— Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) October 15, 2020
Dillon said Biden and the crew member were not in close contact, and thus, the Democrat nominee will not self-isolate.
“Vice President Biden was not in close contact, as defined by the CDC, with this individual at any time. In fact, the Vice President did not even have passing contact: this individual was over 50 feet from VP Biden at all times, entered and exited the aircraft from a rear entrance, and both the individual and the Vice President wore masks for the entire flight. Given these facts, we have been advised by the Vice President’s doctor and the campaign’s medical advisors that there is no need for the Vice President to quarantine,” the statement adds.
Earlier Thursday, Biden’s running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), suspended campaign travel through the weekend after two people involved with the campaign tested positive for coronavirus. Harris’ communications director Liz Allen and a “non-staff flight crew member” tested positive for the illness, the campaign said.
“Senator Harris was not in close contact, as defined by the CDC, with either of these individuals during the two days prior to their positive tests; as such, there is no requirement for quarantine,” a Biden campaign statement said.
Hours later, Harris and her husband tested negative for coronavirus, an aide said.
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