Over 130 Secret Service officers reportedly isolate or quarantine after COVID-19 cases possibly linked to Trump rallies
More than 130 Secret Service officers have been required to isolate or quarantine after either testing positive for COVID-19 or having close contact with a co-worker infected with the coronavirus, The Washington Post reports.
These Secret Service officers help protect President Trump and the White House, and the COVID-19 spread that is "believed to be partly linked to a series of campaign rallies" held by Trump in the weeks leading up to the presidential election has "sidelined roughly 10 percent of the agency's core security team," the report says.
The Post's reporting did not make clear how many of the 130 officers tested positive for COVID-19 and how many of them are isolating due to close contact with someone who contracted the coronavirus.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Secret Service is also "examining whether some portion of the current infections are not travel-related" but "instead trace back to" the White House, the Post says. In recent days, numerous White House officials, including White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, have tested positive for COVID-19.
The Post notes that this many Secret Service officers needing to isolate or quarantine will "force many officers to forgo days off and work longer hours to compensate for absent co-workers," and a former Secret Service supervisor told the Post, "Being down more than 100 officers is very problematic. That does not bode well for White House security." Read more at The Washington Post.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Magazine solutions - November 15, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - November 15, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
Magazine printables - November 15, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - November 15, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
'Commentators close to the Palestinian rights movement have feared exactly this scenario'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
ACA opens 2025 enrollment, enters 2024 race
Speed Read Mike Johnson promises big changes to the Affordable Care Act if Trump wins the election
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
McDonald's sued over E. coli linked to burger
Speed Read The outbreak has sickened at least 49 people in 10 states and left one dead
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Texas dairy worker gets bird flu from infected cow
Speed Read The virus has been spreading among cattle in Texas, Kansas, Michigan and New Mexico
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Dengue hits the Americas hard and early
Speed Read Puerto Rico has declared an epidemic as dengue cases surge
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US bans final type of asbestos
Speed Read Exposure to asbestos causes about 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Seattle Children's Hospital sues Texas over 'sham' demand for transgender medical records
Speed Read Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton subpoenaed records of any Texan who received gender-affirming care at the Washington hospital
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Afghanistan has a growing female suicide problem
Speed Read The Taliban has steadily whittled away women's and girls' rights in Afghanistan over the past 2 years, prompting a surge in depression and suicide
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US life expectancy rose in 2022 but not to pre-pandemic levels
Speed Read Life expectancy is slowly crawling back up
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published