Attorney General Merrick Garland tested positive for Covid-19, the Justice Department said Wednesday.
Garland, 69, had no symptoms but received an antigen test Wednesday afternoon after learning he was infected with the coronavirus, the department said.
“Consequently [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] “According to the rules, the Attorney General will be isolated at home for at least five days,” the Justice Ministry said. “During this time, he will almost certainly work and return to the office after a negative virus test.
Garland, who was vaccinated against COVID-19 and received a booster dose, was the second member of President Joe Biden’s cabinet to test positive for the virus on Wednesday. Earlier, Commerce Secretary Gina Raymondo announced her own diagnosis “after the onset of mild symptoms”. It is also vaccinated and boosted.
Raymondo and Garland attended a politically -related grill dinner in Washington last night, an event that is now tied to multiple occasions. Congressmen Adam Schiff (De-California) and Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), who were both present at the party, were positive. About half a dozen journalists and White House and National Security Council staff also tested positive after the event. Reported by the Washington Post.
Biden, who has so far been able to avoid contracting Covid-19 despite not having close contact with the people he had during his presidency, did not attend the dinner.
Before the test turned positive, Garland held a press conference on Wednesday morning to share that the Ministry of Justice was part of an international effort to investigate possible Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine and that the department had accused a Russian oligarch who violated sanctions.
Source: Huffpost
