Military aide found infected, Trump to undergo test daily

Washington, May 8

US President Donald Trump has decided that he will be tested daily for the coronavirus after one of his valets tested positive for the deadly disease. A military aide of Trump, whom the White House officials described as a personal valet, tested positive for coronavirus.

The valet, a member of the military, would have had very close contact with Trump, and assisted him with his food, clothes and other personal needs, reports said. Trump, however, denied having close contact with the sick valet. “I’ve had little personal contact with him,” Trump said on Thursday in the Oval Office. “I know who he is a good person, but I’ve had very little contact. Vice President Mike Pence also has had little contact with him, but we were both tested,” Trump said.

Trump said he, the Vice President and other staff of the White House would be tested for coronavirus every day. “I just had a test. In fact, I had one yesterday and one today, and it is negative. Mike just had a test and it is negative,” he said on a day when the US passed yet another grim milestone of having 75,000 deaths due to the coronavirus. While the US accounted for 12,99,715 cases, the death toll was 77,557.

Meanwhile, Spain accounted for 26,299 total deaths and 3,262 new cases. On the other hand, in Italy — one of the worst-hit countries — the mayor of Milan issued a threat to close down popular open spaces in the city after television footage showed crowds socialising and apparently ignoring public health rules. The death toll crossed 30,000 here. —Agencies