Rep. Cedric Richmond, a soon-to-be senior White House adviser to President-elect Joe Biden, has tested positive for COVID-19, a spokesperson for Biden said Thursday. The Louisiana lawmaker was said to have not been in close contact with Biden. “Richmond’s interactions with the President-elect happened in open air, were masked and totaled less than 15 consecutive minutes, the CDC’s timeframe for close contact. Richmond traveled to Georgia on his own and not with the President-elect,” Kate Bedingfield said in a statement. Biden’s PCR test for the virus on Thursday came back negative. Richmond, who started experiencing symptoms on Wednesday before testing positive that same day, will quarantine for at least 14 days. The news of his diagnosis comes after a reporter who traveled to Georgia with Biden earlier this week also tested positive for the virus.
