Exposure to coronavirus has forced Georgia Sen. David Perdue to quarantine five days before the state’s second-round Senate election
SAVANNAH, Ga. – Republican Sen. David Perdue was forced to put quarantine Thursday in the initial stretch of Georgia Senate schools, which revealed just five days before the election that he had been exposed to a coronavirus-infected campaign worker.
The Perdue campaign did not say how long it plans to remain in quarantine, but guidelines from the Federal Centers for Disease Control say people exposed to the virus can resume normal activities after seven days if they have a negative outcome. test.
It is a bad time for Perdue and his fellow Republicans toward critical runoff that will determine control of the Senate. Following CDC guidelines would keep Perdue isolated for the rest of the campaign, including a planned rally by Georgia Monday with President Donald Trump.
“This morning, Senator Perdue has been notified that he came into close contact with someone in the campaign who tested positive for COVID-19,” the Perdue campaign statement said. “Both Senator Perdue and his wife have given a negative today, but following his doctor’s recommendations and in accordance with 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 his Republican Party senator Kelly Loeffler participate Tuesday in Georgia’s second-round ballot. Perdue faces Democrat Jon Ossoff, while Loeffler faces Democrat Raphael Warnock.
If both Republican incumbents lose, Democrats will control the Senate.
The Perdue campaign did not identify the worker who tested positive for the virus.
In late November, Loeffler went into self-quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19. His campaign said he had no symptoms and resumed the campaign after subsequent tests were negative.
Both Perdue and Loeffler have worn masks frequently on the campaign trail, but have also attended major events, including rallies with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, where people in attendance gathered a lot, many of them without masks. .
Perdue had been scheduled to join Trump along with Loeffler on Monday in a rally to spark participation in northwestern Georgia, which is very conservative.
Democrats also bring their heavy attackers to the state. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is scheduled to campaign for Ossoff and Warnock in Savannah on Sunday, followed by President-elect Joe Biden who will share the stage with Democrats Monday in Atlanta.
Perdue seeks his second term in the Senate in a state where Democrats are gaining influence, primarily due to the growing 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 cast ballots by mail or during face-to-face early voting. That’s more than half of the 5 million global votes cast statewide in the Nov. 3 election.