The governor of Montana, Greg Gianforte, tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Republican, who had a first vaccine last week, will isolate him for ten days according to health guidelines and his doctor’s recommendations, his office said. His wife, Susan Gianforte, was also tested and showed no symptoms while waiting for results.
Gianforte said he and his staff have been tested regularly since he was sworn in on January 4. The staff would be tested again on Tuesday and the people with whom the governor had close contact recently were notified, the governor’s office said.
Gianforte is in his first term as governor of Montana, after running unsuccessfully against Democrat Steve Bullock in 2016.
Gianforte then ran for a special election in 2017 for the U.S. House of Representatives. He made national news in May of that year when he attacked Ben Jacobs, then a Guardian reporter, during a campaign event.
The body attack, recorded by Jacobs on audio and confirmed by Fox News reporters, led to a charge of assault of the offender.
Although an assistant initially issued a false statement about the attack, Gianforte pleaded guilty to assault and was fined and sentenced to rage management classes. He also agreed to donate $ 50,000 to the committee to protect journalists.
Gianforte won Montana’s only seat in the House anyway and was re-elected in 2018. In 2020, he beat Democrat Mike Cooney to become governor.
According to Johns Hopkins University, Montana has recorded more than 105,000 cases of Covid-19 and 1,466 deaths.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Covid-19 vaccines do not yield positive results on viral coronavirus tests.