Biden's 72-year-old wife, whose symptoms were described as mild,
last had COVID in August of last year. The president, now 80,
last tested positive in July 2022.
"This evening, the First Lady tested positive for COVID-19," her
communications director, Elizabeth Alexander, said in a
statement. "She will remain at their home in Rehoboth Beach,
Delaware."
Biden flew back alone from Delaware on Monday evening.
"Following the First Lady’s positive test for COVID-19,
President Biden was administered a COVID test this evening," the
White House said. "The President tested negative. The President
will test at a regular cadence this week and monitor for
symptoms."
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for
comment on whether Biden’s foreign travel could be affected.
But Biden's official week-ahead schedule, released shortly after
the announcement of the first lady's diagnosis, showed him
traveling to New Delhi on Thursday to attend the G20 summit.
Biden is scheduled to fly to Hanoi on Sunday.
Biden is running for re-election in 2024 in a campaign in which
the question about his age has loomed as a key issue for voters.
He is the oldest president to seek a second term, and some
Republicans have said he is too old to be given another four
years in the White House.
Biden's allies say he remains fit to serve as president.
(Reporting by Ismail Shakil, Matt Spetalnick and Trevor
Hunnicutt; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Gerry Doyle)
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