CHICAGO — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is in isolation after a member of his staff tested positive for COVID-19, his office confirmed Tuesday.
Pritzker and other close contacts of the staff member will self-isolate for 14 days, according to a press release. The staffer was tested on Wednesday, as part of weekly testing procedures and tested negative. On Monday, the staff member was tested again after experiencing symptoms and tested positive.
The staffer attended events with the governor on Wednesday in Chicago, Thursday in Marion and Sunday in Marseilles, the release said. The governor and the staffer were wearing masks during their interactions.
The staffer has been interviewed and contact tracing has begun and close contacts will be notified.
Event organizers at each impacted event have also been contacted and made aware of the staff member’s positive results, the release said.
Pritzker and all close contacts will self-isolate for 14 days. In addition, all staff who currently report to the office are being tested and must test negative before reporting back to the office. On Monday, all samples that were tested for COVID-19 came back negative.
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, the release said. The governor's office undergoes a weekly deep cleaning and an additional deep cleaning was conducted Monday night.
Pritzker will continue to hold regular COVID-19 press briefings online.
Last week, Missouri Gov. Parson and his wife Teresa announced they had tested positive for COVID-19.
