ZCZC
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HEALTH-VIRUS-LITHUANIA-US-DEFENSE
Senior Pentagon official infected with Covid-19
WASHINGTON, Nov 20, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – A senior US defense official tested
positive for Covid-19 Thursday after meeting last week in Washington with
Lithuania’s defense chief, who later also tested positive for the virus, the
Pentagon said.
Spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said that the Pentagon was informed Thursday
that Lithuanian Minister of Defence Raimundas Karoblis, who visited
Washington on November 13, was infected with the coronavirus.
During his visit Karoblis met with the new US Acting Defense Secretary
Chris Miller, and the secretaries of the army, navy and air force.
So far Miller and the others have tested negative.
But Anthony Tata, who President Donald Trump installed earlier this month
to serve as undersecretary of defense for policy, also joined the meetings,
and he showed positive for coronavirus in two tests taken Thursday.
Tata is now quarantining at home for 14 days, Hoffman said.
However, because standard Covid mitigation guidelines were followed during
Miller’s meeting with Karoblis and meetings with Tata, Miller “is not
quarantining,” Hoffman said.
Hoffman said the Department of Defense continues to conduct further contact
tracing of department personnel who had close contact with the Lithuanian
delegation or Tata.
BSS/AFP/GMR/1106 hrs