Governor Northam, First Lady Test Positive For Coronavirus

RICHMOND, VA — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and his wife, Pamela Northam, have tested positive for the coronavirus after a member of the governor's residence staff also tested positive. While the governor has reported experiencing no symptoms of COVID-19 — the disease caused by the virus — Pamela Northam has reported experiencing mild symptoms.

Late Wednesday, the governor was notified that a residence staff member, who works closely within the couple's living quarters, had developed symptoms and tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, the governor's office said Friday morning.

Northam and his wife received PCR nasal swab tests Wednesday and received positive results. Both will isolate for the next 10 days following guidelines from the Virginia Department of Health.

"As I've been reminding Virginians throughout this crisis, COVID-19 is very real and very contagious," Northam said in a statement. "The safety and health of our staff and close contacts is of utmost importance to Pam and me, and we are working closely with the Department of Health to ensure that everyone is well taken care of."

The couple are working with the state and Richmond health departments to trace their close contacts, according to the announcement. The Executive Mansion and Patrick Henry office building were closed for deep cleaning Thursday.

Statewide, the department of health reported 902 new coronavirus cases Thursday, up from the 580 new cases reported Wednesday. The cumulative total of cases in Virginia is 143,491, while deaths stand at 3,113 and hospitalizations at 10,769.

With a 5.3 percent positive average of PCR tests statewide as of Sunday, Virginia is approaching the 5 percent rate recommended by the World Health Organization for governments to allow further reopening. There have been 1,952,965 PCR tests completed in Virginia. At the peak of the pandemic, the percent positive figure in Virginia was more than 20 percent.