11 Secret Service workers infected with coronavirus
At least 11 U.S. Secret Service employees were reported to be infected with the new coronavirus and about 60 other staffers were in self-quarantine, a person familiar with the matter said Friday.
The person who was not authorized to comment publicly declined to break down the numbers of civilian versus agent infections.
The service, which safeguards the country’s financial systems and provides personal protection for the president, vice president and their families, along with visiting heads of state, has 7,600 employees. Some of the more than 3,000 agents work in close proximity to those they protect.
The development, first disclosed by Yahoo News, comes as the pandemic has crept closer to the inner circle of the White House.
A member of Vice President Mike Pence’s staff, press secretary Katie Miller, tested positive for the virus just as Pence was preparing to depart on a trip to Iowa on Friday to promote efforts to reopen the economy, delaying takeoff for an hour.
On Thursday, the White House disclosed that a military valet to President Donald Trump also tested positive for the virus.
The developments involving the valet and Pence staffer prompted the White House to put in place additional protective measures.
Trump said White House aides will be tested for the virus daily instead of weekly. He said the valet was in the room with him on Tuesday, the day the man began exhibiting symptoms, but he did not recall any direct contact.