The Republican governor will be isolated for ten days according to his doctor’s prescriptions and public health counseling and plans to work from home, his office said in a statement Monday.
According to Pres. Secretary of State Brooke Stroyke also tested Montana’s first lady, Susan Gianforte, positively for Covid-19. The first lady was diagnosed on Tuesday after being tested the previous day and had no symptoms.
The governor received his first admission of the Covid-19 vaccine on Thursday and, without showing any symptoms, attended Easter service at his church, Stroyke said. He wore a mask throughout the service and had no close contact there except family members, she added.
The governor’s staff were to be tested on Tuesday morning as a precaution against the virus and everyone with whom the governor came into close contact was notified.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the build-up of immunity after vaccination is usually a few weeks, which means an individual can test positive before the vaccine starts. Vaccination prevents disease and severity of diseases.
Gianforte requested Montanans to be vaccinated and on April 1 opened vaccinations for residents 16 years and older. In February, he had the mandate for the entire mask expired, but said local communities may continue to enforce mandates.
“Since we are not out of the woods yet, I will continue to wear a mask, and I will encourage all Montanians to do the same,” the governor said during a bill in February.
Gianforte is the latest U.S. governor to test positive for Covid-19 after Mike Dunleavy, governor of Alaska
tested positive for Covid-19 in February. At least eight other governors, both Democrats and Republicans, tested positive for the virus last year, with at least a dozen others quarantined after possible exposure to Covid-19.
Last summer, Gianforte, who took office in January, placed himself in quarantine and suspended for the government’s bid after his wife and running mate attended an event with Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr., who is positive tested for coronavirus. .
This story was updated on Tuesday with additional developments.
CNN’s Chris Boyette and Andy Rose contributed to this report.
