US President Biden tests Covid negative ‘again’, will travel to India for G20 Summit: White House

Washington, DC [US] : United States President Joe Biden on Tuesday tested negative for COVID-19 again, the White House said.

“An update on the President and the first lady Jill Biden since she tested positive for COVID-19 last night. I can tell you that the first lady is experiencing mild symptoms and will remain in Delaware for the week. President Biden tested negative last night for COVID-19 and tested negative again today,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a briefing.

“He (President Biden) is not experiencing any symptoms as far as the steps he has taken since the President was with the first lady yesterday. He will be masking while indoors and around people in alignment with CDC guidelines. As has been practised in the past the President will remove his mask when sufficiently distance from others indoors and outside as well,” she said.

Yesterday, the first lady tested positive for COVID-19, her communications director Elizabeth Alexander said in a statement.

“This evening, the First Lady tested positive for COVID-19. She is currently experiencing only mild symptoms. She will remain at their home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware,” Elizabeth Alexander said.

This came a few days before Biden’s official visit to India for the G20 Summit, which is scheduled to take place on September 9 and 10.

Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor of the United States, confirmed that Biden will visit India for the G20 summit.

“On Thursday, the President will travel to New Delhi for G20 Summit in India. On Friday Biden will participate in a bilateral meeting with PM Modi. On Saturday, Biden will participate in the official sessions of the G20 Summit, 2023,” Sullivan said.

He will have a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 8, on the sidelines of the summit, the White House recently announced.

To a question from a reporter if he was looking forward to his visits to India and Vietnam, Biden replied, “Yes, I am.”During the summit in the national capital on September 9 and 10, Biden will commend PM Modi for his leadership of the G20, the White House said earlier this week.“The President will travel to New Delhi, India to attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit.

On Friday, the President will participate in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” the White House said in its week-ahead schedule of the President released on September 7.

On August 29, the White House press secretary said that the US President will “reaffirm US commitment to the G20” as the premier forum of economic cooperation globally and will also speak about a range of issues, including the social effects of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the White House said on Tuesday. Karine Jean Pierre made the remarks during a media briefing.

Announcing the US President’s schedule, Pierre said Biden “will travel to Hanoi, Vietnam, on September 10 following his participation in the G20 Summit in New Delhi”.