A member of Marine Helicopter Squadron One was tested for COVID-19 on Tuesday and received the positive test result on Thursday, Capt. Joe Butterfield, a Marine spokesperson at the Pentagon, confirmed this week, according to Military.com. The Marine was on detachment in Bedminster, New Jersey, when they tested positive for the virus.
"Out of an abundance of caution, Marines who may have had contact with the infected Marine have been removed from the detachment," said Butterfield. "The infected Marine was never in direct contact with the president's helicopter, Marine One,” he added, also noting that the infected Marine is asymptomatic and that the Marine Corps and the White House Medical Unit are carrying out contact tracing to determine who else may have been in contact with the Marine.
According to Butterfield, the helicopter squadron routinely tests its members and has been performing between 80 and 100 tests each month.
The helicopter squadron is also sanitizing all of its aircraft in New Jersey in accordance with the guidelines provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to Politico, Trump is planning on visiting Bedminster this weekend.
"No impact is expected to the president during his trip to Bedminster," Butterfield noted, Military.com reported.
This is not the first time that someone working around Trump has contracted COVID-19.
A service member assigned to one of the president’s personal valets tested positive for the virus in May, Military.com reported at the time.
Earlier this month, Kimberly Guilfoyle - the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr., the US president’s eldest son - tested positive for COVID-19. Guilfoyle is also a top fundraising official for the Trump campaign.
