SAVANNAH, Georgia (AP) – Republican Senator David Perdue was forced to quarantine on Thursday in the home portion of Georgia’s high-stakes Senate rounds, revealing just five days before the election that he had been exposed to a campaigner infected with the coronavirus.
Perdue’s campaign didn’t say how long he plans to remain in quarantine, but guidelines from the federal Centers for Disease Control allow those exposed to the virus to resume normal activities after seven days if they have a negative test result.
It’s bad timing for Perdue and fellow Republicans headed for critical layoffs that will determine control of the Senate. Following the CDC’s guidelines would keep Perdue in isolation for the remainder of the campaign, including a scheduled meeting in Georgia on Monday with President Donald Trump.
“This morning, Senator Perdue was informed that he was in close contact with someone from the campaign who tested positive for COVID-19,” Perdue’s statement said. “Both Senator Perdue and his wife tested negative today, but according to his doctor’s recommendations and in accordance with CDC guidelines, they will be quarantined.”
The statement went on to say that Perdue’s campaign “will continue to follow CDC guidelines.”
Both Perdue and colleague GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler are on the second round of Georgia on Tuesday. Perdue faces Democrat Jon Ossoff, while Loeffler faces Democrat Raphael Warnock.
If both Republican incumbents lose, Democrats will control the Senate.
Perdue’s campaign did not identify the employee who tested positive for the virus.
In late November, Loeffler went into self-quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19. Her campaign said she was not developing any symptoms, and she resumed her campaign after subsequent tests were negative.
Both Perdue and Loeffler have often worn masks on the campaign trail, but have also attended major events – including rallies with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence – where people gathered close together, many of them without masks.
Perdue would join Trump on Monday with Loeffler for a rally to increase turnout in Georgia’s highly conservative northwestern region.
Democrats are also bringing their heavy hitters to the state. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris plans to campaign for Ossoff and Warnock in Savannah on Sunday, followed by President-elect Joe Biden who will share a podium with the Democrats in Atlanta on Monday.
Perdue is aiming for his second term in the Senate in a state where Democrats are gaining influence, largely because of a growing non-white population in the Atlanta suburb. In November, Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate to be won by Georgia since 1992.
More than 2.8 million voters in Georgia have already cast round ballots, either by mail or in a personal early vote. That’s more than half of the 5 million votes cast statewide in the Nov. 3 election.