Pritzker and staff test negative for COVID-19

A day after Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced that he would be self-isolating after possibly being exposed to COVID-19, he and his staffers tested negative for the virus, his office announced Saturday.

The possible exposure stemmed from a Monday meeting that took place in a large conference room in the governor’s office, according to a statement from the governor’s office.

The person he met with, who does not work in the governor’s office, later tested positive for COVID-19, according to spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh.

Pritzker tested negative for the virus on Wednesday, but was tested again Friday as a precaution, Abudayyeh said. The governor was isolating until he received his results Saturday, which confirmed he did not have the virus.

The Democratic governor has had three recent close calls with the coronavirus. He also self-isolated for 14 days after a staffer tested positive in September, and in May when a senior staffer tested positive.