Exposure to the coronavirus forced Georgia Senator David Perdue to be quarantined five days before the state’s run-off elections to the Senate
SAVANNAH, Georgia. – Republican Senator David Perdue was forced into quarantine on Thursday, in the final stretch of the Georgia Senate race, revealing just five days before the election that he had been exposed to a campaign worker infected with the coronavirus.
Perdue’s campaign did not say how long he plans to quarantine, but the guidelines of the federal Centers for Disease Control say that those exposed to the virus can resume normal activities after seven days if they have a negative test result.
It is a bad time for Perdue and his fellow Republicans to enter a critical runoff that will determine Senate control. Following the CDC’s guidance would keep Perdue in isolation for the rest of the campaign, including a planned rally in Georgia for Monday with President Donald Trump.
“This morning, Senator Perdue was notified that he had close contact with someone in the campaign whose test was positive for COVID-19,” said Perdue’s campaign statement. “Senator Perdue and his wife were negative today, but following their doctor’s recommendations and according to CDC guidelines, they will be quarantined.”
The statement went on to say that Perdue’s campaign “will continue to follow CDC guidelines”.
Both Perdue and Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler are in Georgia’s runoff on Tuesday. Perdue faces Democrat Jon Ossoff, while Loeffler faces Democrat Raphael Warnock.
If the two Republican presidents lose, the Democrats will control the Senate.
Perdue’s campaign did not identify the worker who tested positive for the virus.
In late November, Loeffler was quarantined after a positive test for COVID-19. Her campaign said she did not develop symptoms, and she resumed the campaign after further tests were negative.
Both Perdue and Loeffler wore masks frequently during the campaign, but they also participated in major events – including rallies with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence – where people appeared huddled, many of them without a mask.
Perdue was scheduled to join Trump along with Loeffler on Monday for a rally to increase participation in conservative northwest Georgia.
Democrats are also bringing their heavyweights to the state. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris plans to campaign on Sunday for Ossoff and Warnock in Savannah, followed by President-elect Joe Biden sharing the stage with Democrats on Monday in Atlanta.
Perdue is seeking his second term in the Senate in a state where Democrats are gaining influence, largely because of the growth of the non-white population in the Atlanta suburb. In November, Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Georgia since 1992.
More than 2.8 million Georgia voters have already voted in the second round by mail or during early personal voting. That is more than half of the 5 million general votes cast across the state in the November 3 election.