The campaign did not immediately return a request from CNN for comment.
After eight employees tested positive, several of the campaign’s top officials decided to quarantine the week instead of going to the office, two sources familiar with the situation told CNN. The staff had recently returned to the office after months of working from home due to coronavirus restrictions.
As a precaution, staff who were in Tulsa are working remotely and will be screened before returning to the office, a campaign official said.
The consequences of Trump’s push to hold a rally with thousands of attendees have continued in the days since he returned from Tulsa, and as the nation as a whole remains mired in the pandemic. The three most populous states set daily records of new coronavirus cases, and there is fear of an “apocalyptic” surge in major Texas cities if the trend continues.
Florida and Texas announced Wednesday that they had registered more than 5,000 new Covid-19 cases the day before, a new daily registry. California reported more than 7,000 cases, erasing a record reached a day earlier.
The massive quarantine has led to the decision that Secret Service agents involved in presidential travel must undergo coronavirus testing for the next two weeks, according to an email sent to agency staff. The email sent Wednesday was confirmed by the law enforcement official. Agents must now be evaluated 24 to 48 hours before a presidential trip, according to the email. The new trial mandate will be valid until July 4.
When asked about the decision to screen all agents on presidential trips for coronavirus, the Secret Service official said protecting agency staff is critical during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We want to make sure that we have a healthy workforce and that we are protecting our people,” the official said. “This is good common sense.”
Several of the campaign surrogates who traveled to Tulsa also underwent coronavirus testing as a precaution, two sources said.
Many of the surrogates, including lawmakers, former lawmakers and campaign advisers, traveled together on a rented plane without wearing masks.
The Trump campaign had urged many of them to come so that the President could have a show of force for his return to the campaign.
CNN’s Jim Acosta, Paul LeBlanc and Faith Karimi contributed to this report.
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