Both Eugene and Trish Scalia attended the Rose Garden event where President Donald Trump announced that Judge Amy Connie Barrett was his choice to replace Justice Ruth Bader Jinsberg in the Supreme Court. They sat in the second row directly behind First Lady Melania Trump and former White House counselor Kelly Conway. Both of these will later test positive for the Covid-19.
“This afternoon, doctors confirmed that Trisha, the wife of U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia, tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Mrs. Scalia is experiencing mild symptoms, but is performing well.”
“This evening, Secretary Scalia received a test and the results were negative; she showed no symptoms. The Secretary and Mrs. Scalia follow the advice of health professionals for the recovery of Trish and the surrounding health. Will work. “
It’s not clear if Trish Scalia contracted the coronavirus at the Rose Garden event. Her positive test comes more than two weeks after the incident, but it is unknown when she was last tested. The incubation period of the virus can be up to 14 days.
At least 12 people, including Trump, First Lady and Conway, have tested positive for Covid-19 since attending the Sept. 26 event. Republican Sense. Mike Lee of Utah and Thom Tillis of North Carolina – who sat on three seats during the outdoor ceremony, apart from the other row, separated by other senators – were both later tested positive, such as East New Jersey’s Gov. Chris Christie did too. The president of the University of Notre Dame, where Barrett teaches, was also diagnosed with a coronavirus while he sat on three seats from Conway and behind the nominee’s young children at the event.
While some of the day’s events were held in the Garden daily, there were also small, private gatherings inside the White House that did not include wearing masks or social distance that public health experts have advised is necessary to prevent the spread of the virus. .
The country’s top infectious disease specialist Dr. Anthony Fauci called the Rose Garden ceremony a “superspreader” event last week. “A lot of people at the event didn’t wear social distances or masks,” he said, “the data speaks for itself,” he said.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Carolyn Kelly, Dana Bash, Kevin Bohan and Kevin Liptk contributed to the report.
