First lady Jill Biden tests positive for COVID-19; President Biden remains negative

Joey Garrison, USA TODAY
Updated ·2 min read
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WASHINGTON − First lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, while President Joe Biden remains negative for the virus, the White House said.

The first lady is "currently experiencing only mild symptoms," her communications director, Elizabeth Alexander, said in a statement. Jill Biden remains at the Biden's vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where the couple were staying over Labor Day weekend.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that President Biden was given a COVID-19 test Monday evening after the first lady's positive test and that he tested negative. Jean-Pierre, in a statement, said the president will "test at a regular cadence this week and monitor for symptoms."

It is unclear what, if any, protocols will be taken on the White House campus in response to the first lady’s positive test. The White House has not yet said what additional precautions the president will be taking in the coming days.

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden walk towards Air Force One before departing from Gainesville, Florida, on September 2, 2023. The Presiden and First Lady traveled to Florida to visit communities ravaged by Hurricane Idalia.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden walk towards Air Force One before departing from Gainesville, Florida, on September 2, 2023. The Presiden and First Lady traveled to Florida to visit communities ravaged by Hurricane Idalia.

A Medal of Honor ceremony for an Army veteran, to be attended by the president, remained on Biden’s official White House schedule for Tuesday afternoon.

Joe Biden traveled from the couple's vacation home in Rehoboth Beach to Philadelphia on Air Force One Monday morning to commemorate Labor Day while Jill Biden stayed in Rehoboth Beach.

President Biden gave remarks at a Philadelphia union hall, then returned to the White House Monday evening.

Earlier, the Bidens traveled to Florida together Saturday to tour the damage from Hurricane Idalia. They met with Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., a host of first responders, area residents and local officials, including the mayor of Gainesville.

First Lady Jill Biden greets people in Live Oak, Florida, on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023. The President visited the town to assess Hurricane Idalia's damage and speak to the community.
First Lady Jill Biden greets people in Live Oak, Florida, on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023. The President visited the town to assess Hurricane Idalia's damage and speak to the community.

More: 'Here to help': President Biden, first lady land in Gainesville, survey Idalia damage

COVID-19 cases are on the rise again: Weekly hospitalizations from the virus are up 18.8%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Jill Biden, 72, has tested positive for COVID-19 once before, in August 2022, after her husband was infected with the virus the month before.

Joe Biden, 80, the oldest president in U.S. history, contracted COVID-19 in July 2022. After initially testing negative, the president experienced a "rebound" positive case a week later that his doctor attributed to his use of the antiviral medication Paxlovid.

Joe and Jill Biden are vaccinated and have received boosters for the virus.

President Biden was still scheduled to travel to India for a summit of the Group of 20 nations on Thursday before visiting Vietnam on Sunday and Alaska on his way back to Washington.

Reach Joey Garrison on Twitter @joeygarrison.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jill Biden tests positive for COVID-19; President Biden still negative