Kayleigh McEnany tests positive for coronavirus as White House cluster grows

Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany is the latest White House staffer to get infected, and the White House press corps is furious with her.

(FILES) In this file photo White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany speaks to the press on July 16, 2020, Picture: AFP

The coronavirus outbreak in the White House is still growing.

Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany is the latest person in President Donald Trump’s orbit to test positive for the virus.

“After testing negative consistently, including every day since Thursday, I tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday morning while experiencing no symptoms,” she announced today.

“No reporters, producers, or members of the press are listed as close contacts by the White House Medical Unit.

“Moreover, I definitively had no knowledge of Hope Hicks’ diagnosis prior to holding a White House press briefing on Thursday.

“As an essential worker, I have worked diligently to provide needed information to the American people at this time.

“With my recent positive test, I will begin the quarantine process and will continue working on behalf of the American people remotely.”

The cluster of infections connected to Mr Trump has grown to more than a dozen.

It includes: Ms McEnany, First Lady Melania Trump, senior adviser Hope Hicks, Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien, former adviser Kellyanne Conway, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, Senator Mike Lee, Senator Thom Tillis, Senator Ron Johnson, University of Notre Dame President John Jenkins, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, assistant press secretary Chad Gilmartin, the President’s bodyman Nick Luna and three White House reporters.

Many of those people were guests at a suspected “superspreader” event held in the White House’s Rose Garden, where Mr Trump announced his nominee to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court.

The event involved no social distancing, and guests were told they could remove their face coverings after they tested negative on their way in.

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White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany. Picture: AFP

Ms McEnany did not self-quarantine after Ms Hicks tested positive on Thursday, even though she was a close contact of the presidential adviser. She continued to go to work, citing the negative test result she was returning each day.

The virus’s incubation period means it is entirely possible someone has the virus even if they test negative shortly after being exposed to it.

As Dr Alan Wells from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre told The Associated Press, a negative test less than seven days after exposure is “a very, very poor indicator of whether you have the virus on board”.

“That is why, if you have had a credible exposure, you should wear a mask and you should self-quarantine,” Dr Wells said.

A negative test is more likely to be accurate between seven and ten days after exposure.

On top of coming to work despite her contact with Ms Hicks, Ms McEnany held press gaggles with reporters on both Friday and Sunday without wearing a mask.

That was in keeping with her practice of going maskless during official White House media briefings throughout the pandemic.

The press corps has responded to her diagnosis by wishing her well.

“We wish Kayleigh, the President and everyone else struggling with the virus a swift recovery,” said the White House Correspondents Association.

“As of this moment, we are not aware of additional cases among White House journalists, though we know some are awaiting test results. We strongly encourage our members to continue following CDC guidance on mask-wearing and distancing.”

Several White House correspondents have criticised Ms McEnany’s decision-making on Twitter, and expressed the hope that Mr Trump’s staffers will take the virus more seriously going forward.

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I wish you a speedy recovery. And I hope the White House will begin to take appropriate precautions on White House grounds. https://t.co/hj5fUaOABh

— Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) October 5, 2020

It's worth repeating that all of this spread in the presiden't inner circle has real ramifications in DC and the other places around the country that he and his team traveled to unmasked.

— Hunter Walker (@hunterw) October 5, 2020

I wish Kayleigh a full recovery. I hope she uses this time for reflection. https://t.co/biWSDp5oxv

— MichaelStarr Hopkins (@Theonlyhonest) October 5, 2020

How many maskless briefings did you do, exactly?? https://t.co/5VSjNMNoPj

— Joy JUST VOTE & MASK UP!! Reid 😷) (@JoyAnnReid) October 5, 2020

McEnany says she has tested positive despite "experiencing no symptoms."

This is exactly why the administraiton's own public health experts urge people to wear face masks as much as possible — a recommendation McEnany and other members of her staff have flouted repeatedly. https://t.co/r1CEmDX0NO

— Chris Sommerfeldt (@C_Sommerfeldt) October 5, 2020

Covering this White House is a health hazard for reporters.

— Kathryn Watson (@kathrynw5) October 5, 2020

Kayleigh McEnany has repeatedly spoken to reporters without a mask on. She has recklessly endangered lives. https://t.co/BKnrD1AWRn

— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) October 5, 2020

CNN reporter Kaitlain Collins took it a bit further, slamming Ms McEnany on air.

“While we obviously wish Kayleigh McEnany well, and that she has a speedy recovery from the coronavirus, this is a sign of how the White House thinks that the rules do not apply to them,” Collins said.

“Kayleigh McEnany was told on Thursday that Hope Hicks had tested positive and that she was someone who was considered to have direct contact with Hope.

“However, she did not quarantine as is recommended if you have come into sustained contact with someone who’s tested positive. Instead, she relied on negative tests that she took every single day, and continued to come to work.

“It shows the level of recklessness inside the White House, where she is relying on having these negative tests, despite the fact that she did come into contact with someone that we now know is positive.

“Everyone else, if you had come into contact with someone who had tested positive and you were told in direct contact, you would go in quarantine.

“It’s not just raising concerns about how we’re seeing how prolific this outbreak is in the West Wing and in the President’s inner circle, but also how they’re responding to it and how they are not doing what medical experts advised.

“Instead of quarantining like they were told to do or like they were advised to do by the CDC guidelines, they instead believe that a negative test grants them immunity from coronavirus, and what we are seeing with Kayleigh McEnany testing positive shows that it doesn’t.”