Meadows became the fifth Republican to self-quarantine after an announcement from the American Conservative Union (ACU) that an attendee at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) had tested positive for coronavirus. That individual met a number of U.S. politicians, initiating some to sequester themselves in order to curb the spread of the disease.
In a statement Saturday, the ACU said that the individual who had coronavirus at the CPAC “is under the care of medical professionals in the state of New Jersey, and has been quarantined.”
“Out of an abundance of caution, Meadows received testing which came back negative,” Meadows spokesperson Ben Williamson said Monday. “While he’s experiencing zero symptoms, under doctors’ standard precautionary recommendations, he’ll remain at home until the 14-day period expires this Wednesday.”
Newsweek reached out to Meadows’ office but did not receive a response via phone.
Meadows is expected to replace acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, who will become the U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland.
Like the other politicians who have quarantined themselves, Meadows claims to exhibit no symptoms of coronavirus and is following physicians’ orders by staying at home.
Other U.S. lawmakers who have self-quarantined include Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida, Georgia Representative Doug Collins, Arizona Representative Dr. Paul Gosar and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. Democratic Congresswoman Julia Brownley also announced her self-quarantine Monday.
Senator Cruz’s office said in a statement Monday that Cruz “feels great” and that his decision to self-quarantine was made “to give everyone peace of mind, not because it was medically recommended.”
“Importantly,” the statement continued, “medical authorities assured Sen. Cruz that anyone who has interacted with him over the last 11 days should not be concerned about potential transmission and they do not require any special treatment, including self-quarantine.”
Cruz encouraged Americans to “treat this outbreak seriously” in a statement on Sunday.
“Everyone should continue to treat this outbreak seriously and be driven by facts and medical science,” Cruz wrote. “We need to continue to be proactive in mobilizing resources to combat this outbreak—including the $8.3 billion in emergency funding we provided last week—and I encourage everyone to follow the recommendations of the CDC and other health professionals in protecting their own health and welfare, as well as the health and welfare of those around them.”
Representative Gaetz, who also attended CPAC and came into contact with the individual who tested positive for the disease, traveled on Air Force One to Orlando with President Trump on Monday.
At a press briefing Monday, Trump left the podium when asked by reporters if he had been tested for coronavirus. When asked what the White House’s position was regarding testing Trump for the virus, Vice President Mike Pence said, “I just simply don’t know.”
Pence added that he had not received any directive that he be tested for coronavirus.
While coronavirus has claimed 22 lives in the U.S. out of 624 confirmed positive cases, 15 of those individuals have totally recovered.
Globally, 114,223 positive cases of coronavirus have reported. While 4,005 people are reported dead worldwide as a result of coronavirus, 62,834 individuals have recovered.
