Pence, second lady test negative for COVID-19 again before heading to Utah

Vice President Pence and second lady Karen Pence on Monday both again tested negative for COVID-19, a White House official confirmed, as the two are set to travel to Utah later in the day ahead of the vice presidential debate.

The two have tested negative for COVID-19 each day since President Trump revealed early Friday morning that he and the first lady had contracted the virus. Pence is tested daily.

While Trump is still undergoing treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland, the vice president is set to hit the road later Monday. The Pences are scheduled to depart Washington, D.C., for Utah, where the vice presidential debate between Pence and Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s running mate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is slated to take place on Wednesday.

Pence is expected to spend the next few days out west, following the debate with a campaign event in Arizona.

The vice president had been working from home since Friday, when Trump publicized his positive test result, as experts note Pence’s health is especially critical to the continuity of government. But the Trump campaign has signaled that Pence will take on an increased role in the coming days while the president is sidelined with the virus that has killed roughly 210,000 people in the United States.

Pence’s doctor said last week that the vice president does not have to quarantine and is not considered a close contact of any individuals who have tested positive. But Pence was in the front row of a large audience last Saturday in the Rose Garden for Trump’s nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.

Since then, several attendees have tested positive, including Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah), and former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway. Lee and Tillis were seated in the row directly behind Pence for the outdoor event.