RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel tests negative for coronavirus

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel has tested negative for the novel coronavirus, her spokesperson said Wednesday.

“On the advice of her doctor, @GOPChairwoman was administered a test for COVID-19. That test has fortunately come back negative,” Michael Ahrens tweeted.

McDaniel had been tested Friday night after experiencing a fever and flu-like symptoms and has been self-quarantining while she waited for her test results.

Before Wednesday, news of her symptoms had sparked considerable concern given that McDaniel frequently interacts with the President and other top Republican lawmakers.

While Trump has tested negative for the virus, a White House official told CNN that Vice President Mike Pence will not get tested after a White House physician said it wasn’t necessary at this time. The White House, though, has started taking the temperature of anyone who comes into close contact with Trump and Pence.

On Capitol Hill, at least 14 members of Congress have announced steps to self-quarantine or otherwise isolate themselves as a precaution after coming into contact with an infected individual.

Those steps come as the death toll from the virus continues to climb and state and local governments hand down more aggressive social-distancing requirements.

Trump said during Wednesday’s White House press briefing that he will be invoking the Defense Production Act to help make up for potential medical supply shortages and deploy two hospital ships as the US battles the pandemic.

The move comes after a 100-page federal plan on how to tackle the outbreak obtained by CNN shows the Trump administration is making contingency plans for a pandemic that could stretch up to “18 months or longer” and could include “multiple waves of illness.”

Government agencies have also noted that it will be difficult to “forecast” how Covid-19 will spread and how severe an outbreak will be.