South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster (R) tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday night, just days after his wife was diagnosed with the coronavirus.
The Governor of South Carolina announced its positive test result on Tuesday, saying he received it during “routine tests due to close contact with the COVID-19 virus”. McMaster said he plans to isolate for the next 10 days according to federal and state guidelines.
McMaster developed “mild symptoms”, including coughing and mild fatigue, his office said. He is due to receive treatment with monoclonal antibodies on Tuesday as a preventive measure.
Peggy McMaster, the governor’s wife, tested positive on Friday. She remains asymptomatic.
The governor’s office said they both “remain in a good mood” and that the governor is working at his residence.
“Peggy and I ask everyone to be extremely careful during the Christmas holiday,” said the governor in a statement. “This virus spreads very easily.”
Doctors at the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control said that “there is no way to accurately determine when or how” McMasters caught the virus.
Both were negative before attending a Christmas party at the White House on December 14. Brian Symmes, a spokesman for the governor’s office, told The State on Friday that, during the party, the couple used “facial coverage when necessary and social distance was not possible. “
State officials determined that the governor had no close contacts in the 48 hours prior to the positive test, as he had already isolated himself due to his wife’s diagnosis, who was announced over the weekend.
The governor’s office announcement about Peggy McMaster’s diagnosis noted that the governor’s test was negative for the virus last Thursday, the day before his wife’s positive test result. At the time, he pledged to be quarantined for seven days and underwent regular testing.
McMasters are 73 years old, which means that they are part of the population most at risk of hospitalization due to the virus.
South Carolina Senate Democrats have been pressing the governor to institute a masked mandate. Last week, they requested a 60-day mask mandate to halt the current increase, according to the state.
The state experienced a rapid increase in the number of cases in December, reaching the highest daily number of confirmed cases last Friday, with 4,302, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
In total, South Carolina has notified 255,210 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 20,523 probable cases since the beginning of the pandemic, according to state data. The state saw 4,587 confirmed deaths and 375 likely deaths related to the coronavirus.
Henry McMaster joins at least six other governors who contracted COVID-19 during the pandemic, including Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D), Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R), Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R), Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (R), Colorado Gov. Jared Polis
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– Updated at 14h14