DC mayor says staff member died after testing positive for coronavirus

Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Friday that a member of her staff has died after testing positive for the novel coronavirus.

“A member of my team who worked in the office of legal counsel recently tested positive for Covid-19 and he passed away this morning,” Bowser said at a news conference.

“My prayers right now are with his family, his entire team and of course we will be supporting them during this very difficult time,” she added.

Bowser later identified the staffer as George Valentine, who was serving as the deputy director of the Mayor’s Office of Legal Counsel.

Valentine had been admitted to the hospital Wednesday, according to the mayor. Bowser said she did not know when he was diagnosed.

“It’s devastating for everybody, of course. We’re very sorry,” the mayor said.

She told reporters she did not have direct contact with him and that her staff had already begun “contact tracing.”

Valentine had worked in the DC Attorney General’s office for nearly a decade before joining the mayor’s office in March 2019, according to his LinkedIn profile.

As of Friday, three people in Washington, DC, have died from the coronavirus and the nation’s capital has 267 confirmed cases, according to CNN’s tally.

This story has been updated with additional developments.