The Bidens have been on vacation in South Carolina since Aug. 10, and the 71-year-old first lady began showing symptoms on Monday. Jill Biden, like her husband, has been vaccinated twice and boosted twice with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. She has been prescribed the antiviral drug Paxlovid and will be isolated at the holiday home for at least five days. “Close contacts of the First Lady have been notified,” her communications director, Elizabeth Alexander, said in a statement. “She is currently residing at a private residence in South Carolina and will return home after receiving two consecutive negative COVID tests.” The president tested negative for the virus Tuesday morning, the White House said, but he would wear a mask indoors for 10 days. He plans to return to Washington on Tuesday to sign the Democrats’ landmark climate change and health care bill in the afternoon, before continuing to his home in Wilmington, Delaware. He recovered from a relapse of the virus on August 7. “Consistent with CDC guidance, because she is in close contact with the First Lady, she will wear a mask for 10 days when indoors and around others,” the White House said. He said he would increase the rate of testing the president and report those results. Jill Biden will no longer travel to Florida later this week. She previously announced her participation in events Thursday night and Friday at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando to support the Joining Forces initiative for military families.
Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed from Washington.
