US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania have both tested positive for the coronavirus.
Mr Trump announced the news on Twitter:
They went into quarantine and got tested today after one of the President’s closest advisers, Hope Hicks, contracted the infection.
Ms Hicks, a former White House communications director who returned to the administration as a counsellor to Mr Trump earlier this year, travelled to and from this week’s presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio with him.
She was also aboard the President’s helicopter, Marine One, for a trip to Joint Base Andrews yesterday. And she was aboard Air Force One for Mr Trump’s visit to Minnesota, where he held a political rally.
Speaking to Fox News host Sean Hannity after his test, but before the result was known, Mr Trump was in a fairly positive mood.
“I just went for a test, and we’ll see what happens. I mean, who knows?” he said.
“We spend a lot of time with Hope.
“But you know Hope very well. She’s fantastic, and she’s done a great job.
A rally planned for the swing state of Wisconsin has been cancelled. The result could also impact Mr Trump’s broader election campaign, with the second presidential debate scheduled for mid-October.
In a statement earlier today, White House spokesman Judd Deere said the President “takes the health and safety of himself and everyone who works in support of him and the American people very seriously”.
Source: CNN