Governor J.B. Pritzker’s office is under quarantine for the next two weeks after a staffer tested positive yesterday. The governor’s office released the information this morning saying that pursuant to state and federal public health guidelines the governor and all other close contacts will self-isolate for a 14-day period.
Officials reported the staff member was tested on Wednesday during weekly testing for the governor’s office and was negative. After experiencing symptoms, the staff member was tested again yesterday and confirmed as positive. The staffer attended events with the governor on Wednesday in Chicago, Thursday in Marion, and Sunday in Marseilles. According to the press release, Pritzker and the staffer wore masks for the entirety of their interactions.
According to the press release, contact tracing are being done at all 3 events and appropriate notifications are being sent to the event organizers. In addition, all staff who currently report to the office are being tested and must test negative before reporting back to the office. According to the release, all other office staff samples taken for tests yesterday came back negative.
According to further communication, the governor’s office undergoes a weekly deep cleaning and an additional deep cleaning was conducted last night. The governor is still expected to hold his press briefings scheduled in the upcoming weeks which are live-streamed at the Governor’s Office page as well as on the governor’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.