AFP
Washington
The governor of Oklahoma announced on Wednesday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus, weeks after he attended US President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in the state.
Cases have surged in Oklahoma, and local health officials have said that Trump’s indoor rally and large public protests in June "more than likely” contributed to the spike in new infections.
Governor Kevin Stitt said he believes he is the first US governor to be diagnosed with coronavirus, but that it was unlikely he contracted it at Trump’s June 20 rally because the event occurred too long ago.
"I got tested yesterday for COVID-19, and the results came back positive,” Stitt told an online press conference.
He said he was "a little bit achy” on Tuesday but otherwise felt "fine.” The 47-year-old Republican said he immediately placed himself in quarantine away from his family and will work from home until he is free of the virus.
Stitt has often declined to wear a mask at meetings and did not wear one at the Trump rally, but he is urging residents to take precautions.