One of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s children quarantining after COVID-19 exposure

One of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s children is quarantining after being exposed to a classmate with COVID-19, the governor’s office said Friday night.

The news, first reported by Politico, comes a day after Newsom announced a 10 p.m. curfew for Californians in an effort to curb spiking coronavirus rates across the state. California’s positive test rate has climbed past 5%, and the state’s infections are climbing at their fastest rate since the pandemic began in March.

Newsom’s child began to quarantine after the private school his children attend alerted the family of the potential exposure, spokesman Nathan Click said. The rest of the governor’s family is not quarantining because they were not directly exposed.

Newsom has four children under age 12. He said last month that they were “transitioning” back to in-person learning.

“The family has taken the potential exposure seriously and is following all state protocols,” Click wrote in a statement. “The Governor has made the safety of students and staff a priority during the COVID-19 pandemic and has fought to ensure that every child – whether in a classroom or at home – is learning.”

The exposed child has tested negative twice, 5 and 7 days after exposure, Click said. Newsom, his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom and their other three children have also tested negative.

Newsom took a rapid test this week and plans to take a regular PCR test this weekend, Click said.

The Democratic governor has faced intense backlash for attending a party earlier this month with several other households, even though he has been urging other Californians to avoid gathering with friends and extended family while the pandemic rages through the state. He has apologized and said attending the party was a “bad mistake.”