Montana Governor Greg Gianforte tests positive for Covid-19

The Republican governor will be isolated for 10 days according to his doctor’s instructions and public health guidance and plans to work from home, his office said in a statement released on Monday.

Montana’s first lady, Susan Gianforte, also tested positive for Covid-19, according to the governor’s press secretary, Brooke Stroyke. The first lady was diagnosed on Tuesday after taking the test the day before and showing no symptoms.

The governor received his first injection of the Covid-19 vaccine on Thursday and – having no symptoms – he attended Easter Mass at his church, said Stroyke. He wore a mask during the service and had no close contact other than members of his family, she added.

The governor’s team was scheduled to be tested for the virus on Tuesday morning as a precautionary measure and everyone with whom the governor had close contact was notified.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that building up immunity after vaccination “usually takes a few weeks,” meaning that an individual can have a positive result before the vaccine is administered. Vaccination prevents disease and the severity of the disease.

Gianforte urged Montana residents to get vaccinated and, on April 1, made vaccines available to residents aged 16 and over. In February, he let the mask’s state-wide mandate expire, but said local communities could continue to enforce the mandates.

“Since we are not yet out of danger, I will continue to wear a mask and encourage all Montana residents to do the same,” said the governor during the bill’s signing ceremony in February.

Gianforte is the latest US governor to test positive for Covid-19 after Alaskan governor Mike Dunleavy tested positive for Covid-19 in February. At least eight other governors, both Democrats and Republicans, tested positive for the virus last year, with at least a dozen others who were quarantined after possible exposure to Covid-19.
Last summer, Gianforte, who took office in January, quarantined and personally suspended the campaign for his candidacy for the government after his wife and running mate attended an event with Kimberly Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr.’s girlfriend. , whose test was positive for coronavirus.

This story was updated with further developments on Tuesday.

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