Kamala Harris scraps campaign travel after communications director tests positive for COVID-19

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is canceling her travel for the next several days after two people involved with former Vice President Joe Biden's 2020 campaign tested positive for COVID-19.

The Biden campaign disclosed that it learned on Wednesday "a non-staff flight crew member," as well as Harris' communications director, Liz Allen, tested positive for the coronavirus.

"Senator Harris was not in close contact, as defined by the CDC, with either of these individuals during the two days prior to their positive tests; as such, there is no requirement for quarantine," the campaign said. "Regardless, out of an abundance of caution and in line with our campaign's commitment to the highest levels of precaution, we are canceling Senator Harris' travel through Sunday, Oct. 18, but she will keep a robust and aggressive schedule of virtual campaign activities to reach voters all across the country during this time."

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The campaign said that both of the individuals who tested positive "attended personal, non-campaign events in the past week" and were required to undergo testing for COVID-19 before they could return to work. They weren't in contact with Harris or Biden, nor with any other campaign staffers, in the 48 hours prior to testing positive, the statement said. Harris, who the campaign said most recently tested negative for COVID-19 on Oct. 14, will resume in-person campaigning on Oct. 19.

These positive COVID-19 tests come after President Trump and numerous individuals in his orbit, including his campaign manager and first lady Melania Trump, tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month. Journalists on Thursday took note of the amount of information provided by the Biden campaign regarding the positive tests, with CNN's DJ Judd writing, "Five months covering the Trump campaign, where several members of campaign and White House staff have tested positive for COVID, and I have never received a release detailing possible COVID exposure in this detail."