After many hours of not supplying any details, a protection official explained to CNN “no just one with the Secretary has examined optimistic, and neither the Secretary nor the traveling get together have been uncovered.”
Two officers stated the particular person experienced assisted with Esper’s travel arrangements. The officers included that customers of the delegation touring with the secretary have been briefed on the issue.
A protection formal told CNN that the staffer was on the advance crew for the journey and did not arrive into contact with Esper or Pentagon workers traveling with him.
Under normal protocols the person would be analyzed yet again. CNN has not realized any facts on no matter if even more testing has taken location.
The Pentagon experienced not promptly responded to CNN’s request for remark.
It is also unclear how the predicament will influence travel plans for the secretary’s return to the US, the officers claimed.
Esper embarked on the journey to the Indo-Pacific location final week, which involved stops in Hawaii and Palau. The secretary is now in Guam and customers of his delegation have been informed of the good result.
Guam at the moment has far more than 1,200 verified coronavirus conditions, and has so much noted nine fatalities from the virus, in accordance to Johns Hopkins University.
Esper posted a movie on
Twitter Friday displaying him laying a wreath in the waters of Palau for fallen service associates from World War II. The secretary also posted a image Thursday night of him meeting with sailors aboard the USS Essex. Esper was carrying a mask in the images and video clip.
The staffer’s positive outcome arrives almost a month after
countrywide protection adviser Robert O’Brien examined positive for the virus, becoming the maximum-rating Trump administration official recognized to have contracted it.
In addition to O’Brien, quite a few other people related to the White House or the Trump administration have also analyzed good, which includes a cafeteria personnel on the White House grounds and
Kimberly Guilfoyle, a top rated campaign fundraising formal who is the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr.
Many Mystery Provider agents and campaign staffers also examined good right after turning out to be infected whilst planning for the President’s Tulsa marketing campaign rally in June. Additionally, Vice President Mike Pence’s communications director Katie Miller analyzed constructive for coronavirus in Might, and just one of the President’s individual valets examined constructive before that thirty day period.
This story has been current to contain comment from a defense formal and further track record details.
CNN’s Devan Cole, Kaitlan Collins, Kevin Liptak and Betsy Klein contributed to this report.
