NORTHAM AND HIS WIFE TEST POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and his wife, Pam, have tested positive for the coronavirus, the governor said Friday.
The two were tested Thursday afternoon after they learned Wednesday that a member of Northam’s official residence staff, who works in the governor’s mansion in Richmond, had developed symptoms and tested positive.
Ralph Northam wasn’t experiencing any symptoms, but Pam Northam was experiencing “mild” symptoms, according to a press release Friday morning.
“As I’ve been reminding Virginians throughout this crisis, COVID-19 is very real and very contagious,” the governor said in the release. “The safety and health of our staff and close contacts is of utmost importance to Pam and
me, and we are working closely with the Department of Health to ensure that everyone is well taken care of. We are grateful for your thoughts and support, but the best thing you can do for us — and most importantly, for your fellow Virginians — is to take this seriously.”
The two will isolate for the next 10 days, the release said. They are working with the state and Richmond health departments to track their contacts, and the governor’s mansion and Patrick Henry building, where offices of the governor and many cabinet members are located, was closed for deep cleaning Friday morning.
At least three other governors — from Ohio, Missouri and Oklahoma — are known to have tested positive for the coronavius, which has killed more than 200,000 people in the U.S. After his initial positive test, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine took a test considered to be more accurate and tested negative, The Associated Press reported.
In Virginia, where more than 144,000 people have tested positive and 3,136 people have died, several other elected officials have also tested positive.
Del. Delores McQuinn, D-Richmond, was the first known state representative to test positive in April. Sen. Bryce Reeves, RSpotsylvania, tested positive in mid-August, and Del. Thomas Wright, R-Lunenburg, tested positive this week. The General Assembly has been in a special session since Aug. 18, with the House of Delegates meeting remotely and the state Senate meeting in the Virginia Science Museum.
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, and his wife Anne Holton tested positive for coronavirus antibodies in May. U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, a Republican from Southwest Virginia, tested positive in mid-July.
Northam, the only governor who also is a doctor, urged Virginians at the beginning of the pandemic to take the coronavirus threat seriously by socially distancing and staying home. He closed much of the state for several months through executive orders while also mandating people wear masks.
Over the past week, Northam and his wife have traveled to various parts of the state to ceremoniously sign legislation, provide remarks and vote early in person, according to their public calendars. Northam was in Norfolk on Sept. 18, signing a bill that brings on the state’s first electric transit buses, and in Hampton on Tuesday to announce a new manufacturing facility for undersea drones.
Pam Northam visited two elementary schools in Dumfries and Manassas Park and three children’s centers in Fredericksburg at the beginning of the week.
The governor generally has worn masks when appearing in public, except for while speaking. But he didn’t wear one during a Memorial Day weekend visit to Virginia Beach, even when he posed for a selfie, leading people to criticize him for failing to heed his own advice. His spokeswoman said that was a mistake, but that Northam hadn’t expected to be within 6 feet of anyone that day and hadn’t brought a mask since he was outside.