Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will quarantine after exposure to Covid

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will quarantine himself after coming into contact with a person who tested positive for the coronavirus, the State Department said Wednesday.

A spokesperson for the department did not identify when, where or with whom Pompeo was exposed to Covid, but added in a statement that the Cabinet secretary has tested negative for the virus.

Pompeo had canceled a speaking appearance scheduled for Tuesday at an indoor holiday party at the State Department, according to The Washington Post.

That party, to which more than 900 invitations had reportedly been sent out, came under a barrage of a criticism from health experts and Democratic lawmakers, who accused Pompeo and his wife, Susan Pompeo, of organizing a potential superspreader event in the midst of a pandemic.

Roughly 70 people RSVP’d for the party and even fewer showed up, the Post reported Tuesday.

The State Department did not immediately respond to CNBC’s inquiry about whether Pompeo’s exposure to a Covid-positive individual was related to the scrapped speaking appearance at the holiday party.

“Secretary Pompeo has been identified as having come into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID. For reasons of privacy we can’t identify that individual,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

“The Secretary has been tested and is negative. In accordance with CDC guidelines, he will be in quarantine.  He is being closely monitored by the Department’s medical team.”

It was not immediately clear if Pompeo would also skip a Cabinet meeting Wednesday with President Donald Trump, which is scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m.

The White House declined to comment on whether Pompeo would participate in the Cabinet meeting in any way.

NBC News reported that Pompeo had no public appointments Wednesday on his schedule, which was released the night before.