Two of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s children have tested positive for the coronavirus and his family is following “all COVID protocols,” his office announced Friday.
“The Newsoms continue to support masking for unvaccinated individuals indoors to stop the spread and advocate for vaccinations as the most effective way to end this pandemic,” said a statement from Erin Mellon, spokesperson in the governor’s office.
The brief statement said Newsom, his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom and their other two children had since tested negative for COVID-19 but didn’t provide any other details, including how they were exposed.
All four of the governor’s children are under 12, the age when children are allowed to be vaccinated under federal regulations.
The announcement comes only days after Newsom handily defeated an effort to recall him that was partly driven by the COVID-19 pandemic that shuttered much of the state for more than a year. The recall gained steam after Newsom was caught in November at a lobbyist’s birthday party at a swanky Napa Valley restaurant — unmasked and in a large party that violated his own social distancing orders.
However, Newsom received about 64% of the vote in Tuesday’s election, according to preliminary results.
Republicans running to replace Newsom opposed masking and vaccine mandates but Newsom doubled down on them and argued that GOP opponents would threaten crucial efforts to slow the spread of the virus, calling the recall “a matter of life and death.”