Gov. J.B. Pritzker is self-isolating for 14 days for the second time since the coronavirus pandemic began after a member of his staff tested positive for COVID-19, his office said Tuesday.
The staff member tested negative last Wednesday during weekly testing for the office, Pritzker's office said in a statement. After experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, the staffer was tested again Monday and the results were positive.
Pritkzer's office said the staffer attended events with the governor on Wednesday in Chicago, Thursday in Marion and Sunday in Marseilles, noting that the governor and the staffer were wearing masks during the entirety of their interactions.
"The staffer has been interviewed and a contact tracing effort is underway to ensure all close contacts are notified," Pritzker's office said. "Event organizers at each impacted event have also been contacted and made aware of the staff member’s positive results as well as appropriate next steps."
Pritzker and all close contacts will self-isolate for 14 days, his office said, and all staff who report to the office and must test negative before returning.
Pritzker and employees previously self-isolated for two weeks in May after a member of his senior staff tested positive.
In that case, the staff member was asymptomatic, the governor's office said at the time, and was in close contact with Pritzker as well as other employees.
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"Staff members reporting to the office have followed all public health safety protocols including weekly testing, daily temperature checks, wearing face coverings, social distancing and strict hygiene procedures," Pritzker's office said Tuesday. "The office undergoes a weekly deep cleaning and an additional deep cleaning was conducted Monday night."
As he did in his earlier period of self-isolation, Pritzker will continue to give regular coronavirus briefings, his office said, but will conduct them from home until he is cleared to return.
