Attorney general tests positive for COVID-19

Attorney General Merrick Garland tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday afternoon, the Justice Department announced.

He is the latest high-profile official to announce a positive COVID-19 test after attending the elite Gridiron Dinner on Saturday.

In a statement, the Justice Department said Mr. Garland tested positive through antigen tests and is not experiencing any symptoms. Mr. Garland is fully vaccinated and boosted, the statement said.

The department said Mr. Garland had asked to be tested after learning he may have been exposed to the virus. Contact tracing is currently underway, according to the Justice Department. 

Mr. Garland will isolate at home for at least five days, work virtually and return to the office following a negative test.

The news comes just hours after Mr. Garland attended a press event at the Justice Department to announce an indictment against a Russian oligarch for violating the sanctions imposed on Moscow over its attack in Ukraine.

At Tuesday’s event, Mr. Garland was flanked on the podium by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and FBI Director Christopher Wray.

Mr. Garland was among the attendees of the annual Gridiron Dinner, a 137-year tradition that brings together politicians, journalists, and other luminaries.

Several A-list guests have announced positive tests since attending the dinner over the weekend. On Tuesday, Rep. Adam Schiff, California Democrat, Rep. Joaquin Castro, Texas Democrat, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo all announced positive coronavirus tests after having attended the dinner.

About a half-dozen journalists, plus members of the White House and National Security Council staffs, also reported positive tests after the event, according to The Washington Post.

Virus cases have generally subsided across the country, though some parts of the Northeast are seeing a rise alongside the prevalence of the fast-moving BA.2 subvariant of omicron and a wave of infections has hit the upper echelons of Washington in recent weeks.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff tested positive in mid-March, and White House press secretary Jen Psaki and deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre were recently infected.

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin tested positive for the virus during a trip to Washington in late March and had to leave an event at the National Building Museum attended by Mr. Biden.

For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.