Reporters From The Working Visit Of The US Secretary Of State, Antony Blinken, Have Been Declared Positive For COVID-19

President Joko Widodo and US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, December 13. (Photo: Lukas/Press Bureau of the Presidential Secretariat)

JAKARTA - The United States (US) Department of State said a journalist accompanying US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on a trip to the UK and Southeast Asia had tested positive for COVID-19.

Citing AP December 15, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said the journalist, one of 12 members of the travel press corps on the Blinken trip, tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday in Malaysia.

Neither Foreign Minister Blinken, his senior staff, nor any other members of the press corps have tested positive, according to Price.

Foreign Minister Blinken arrived in Kuala Lumpur Tuesday evening from Jakarta, Indonesia, and is still planning to make his final stop in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday night.

He started his journey today in the English city of Liverpool, where he participated in the Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting over the weekend.

The State Department has been testing people on the Blinken plane for the virus daily and Ned Price said the reporter tested negative in Liverpool and Jakarta.

Attributed to Ned Price, "We learned this morning, through our routine PCR testing, that a member of our travel press group tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival in Kuala Lumpur. That person last tested negative in Jakarta, our previous stop. Individuals tested positive will remain isolated, and we will continue to comply with and exceed CDC guidelines, including with our stringent testing protocols, for the remaining traveling parties".

"His secretary and senior staff were also tested upon arrival in Kuala Lumpur, and all tested negative".

As previously reported, Foreign Minister Blinken made a two-day working visit to Indonesia on December 13-14. He held several meetings and activities, including meeting President Joko Widodo and Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi.