One of Trump’s personal valets tests positive for Covid-19

A member of the US military who works at the White House, reportedly as one of Donald Trump’s personal valets, has tested positive for coronavirus.

“We were recently notified by the White House medical unit that a member of the United States military, who works on the White House campus, has tested positive for coronavirus,” the deputy White House press secretary, Hogan Gidley, said in the statement.

“The president and the vice-president have since tested negative for the virus and they remain in great health.”

According to a report from CNN, the valet is a member of the US navy and started exhibiting symptoms on Wednesday morning. The person tested positive on Wednesday, the White House said.

This is the second individual confirmed to have tested positive for Covid-19 while working at the White House. A staffer in vice-president Mike Pence’s office tested positive for the virus in March. Several people present at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s private Florida club, were also diagnosed with Covid-19 in early March.

The news of the new case at the White House comes as the US begins to reopen its economy, despite urgent warnings from health experts that the move could prove to be a “death sentence” for many Americans.

Trump has praised governors of states that have started to loosen restrictions on social distancing and business activity, even though he has admitted that people will suffer as a result. “Will some people be affected badly? Yes,” Trump said on Tuesday. “But we have to get our country open, and we have to get it open soon.”

Public health experts have pointed out that Covid-19 infections and deaths are mounting dangerously in much of the US.

New York has drawn attention as a global hotspot for the virus but has now flattened its rate of infections, whereas large parts of the country are still to reach their own peak. When New York is discounted, the US is still on an upward trajectory of new infections.

The White House instituted safety protocols nearly two months ago, including temperature checks. Last month it began administering rapid Covid-19 tests to all those in close proximity to the president, with staffers being tested about once a week.

Several valets cater to the president and his guests at the White House, both in the West Wing and in the White House residence.