Stars and Stripes is making stories on the coronavirus pandemic available free of charge. See more stories here. Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter here. Please support our journalism with a subscription.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced Monday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Buttigieg said he is experiencing mild symptoms, joining large numbers of Americans who continue to contract the virus as precautions wane and people seek a return to normalcy in the pandemic's third year.
Buttigieg has been crisscrossing the country to promote the infrastructure law that President Biden signed last year, while making frequent media appearances, speaking on issues as varied as gun violence and supply chains.
Buttigieg traveled last week to Michigan, where he attended a state policy conference and met Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D, and other elected leaders. He also appeared in Saginaw to discuss investments in freight rail and supply chain improvements.
Buttigieg, a father of two young children, joins a growing list of Cabinet members and Washington officials who have contracted the virus. Last week, the Interior Department said Secretary Deb Haaland had tested positive and had mild symptoms.
Buttigieg tweeted Monday that he plans to work remotely, while isolating in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He said he looks forward "to when I can safely return to the office and the road."
President Biden delivers remarks alongside Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, left. Buttigieg announced Monday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post)
