The Washington Post, Politico and other news outlets are asking the journalists who reported on this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) to self-quarantine after news emerged of at least one CPAC attendee who tested positive for COVID-19.
Per internal memos obtained by the Washingtonian, higher-ups at the Post, Politico, Mother Jones and the Daily Beast all requested on Monday that those reporters who covered the four-day conference a little over a week ago work from home.
The Post and Politico’s memos both state that the outlets had made the decisions “out of an abundance of caution.”
“Self-quarantine of well individuals who may have been exposed is simply a precautionary measure that helps mitigate spread of the virus and is a step that we will continue moving forward,” the Politico memo said.
The memos were sent out after Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Paul Gozar (R-AZ) announced they were self-quarantining after having shaken hands with an individual at CPAC who was later found to have the coronavirus.
On Saturday, CPAC chair Matt Schlapp disclosed to the Washington Post that he had also made contact with the infected person at the conference but that he himself has not experienced symptoms. The Post noted that on the last day of CPAC, Schlapp had shaken President Donald Trump’s hand.
