Pence Visited School Where Student Is in Coronavirus Quarantine

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(Bloomberg) -- A Florida student whose classmates shook hands last Friday with Vice President Mike Pence has been quarantined after his mother came into contact with a coronavirus patient.

Some White House aides were aware of the case in Sarasota, Florida, but there was no blanket notification about it in the executive mansion, according to people familiar with the matter. Some advisers to the vice president were unaware of the quarantine as of Tuesday morning.

A representative for Pence, whom President Donald Trump selected to lead the coronavirus response, said the vice president did not come in contact with the affected student.

With hand washing, multiple people between Pence and a possible case, and the virus’s limited ability to live outside the body for very long, it’s extremely unlikely that Pence would have been exposed. Most people who get the virus experience only mild symptoms, though older people or those with underlying health conditions are at higher risk.

Pence shook hands with a group of 44 cadets from the Sarasota Military Academy last Friday during a visit to the area for a political fundraiser, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

A mother and son from the military school have been placed in quarantine “as a precautionary measure” after the mother came in contact with a person who tested positive for the virus at Sarasota Doctors Hospital, according to a post on the school’s Facebook page.

The mother was near the patient “in her professional role,” the post said. Both the mother and son -- the Facebook post did not name the student -- are not showing symptoms of the disease.

Pence is mindful about washing his hands with soap and hot water and using hand sanitizer, aides said. Public health experts have urged the public to take both steps to limit risk of infection.

“I travel across this country all the time. My kids live all over the country,” Pence said at a Monday news conference when asked if he would cancel travel plans. “And look, this is a time to use common sense.”

“Good time to wash your hands,” he continued. “But this time of year that’s always a good decision. But as we’ve said, the risk remains low.”

To contact the reporters on this story: Jennifer Jacobs in Washington at jjacobs68@bloomberg.net;Jordan Fabian in Washington at jfabian6@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Elizabeth Wasserman, Drew Armstrong

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