RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - North Carolina State Treasurer Dale Folwell said on Wednesday he’s been diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus.
Folwell, a Republican elected to the post in 2016, said he learned late Tuesday that he had tested positive.
Folwell said he returned to Raleigh last week after a recent, long-planned trip with his son and noticed that his perennial cough had worsened, a statement from his office said. He said he thought initially it was a reaction to pollen, but he ultimately contacted a doctor and got tested. Folwell did not say where he had traveled.
“I have quarantined myself and will follow the advice of my physician as to when I will be medically cleared to return to the office,” Folwell said in a news release. Services in the treasurer’s building in Raleigh have now been scaled back to only what’s absolutely necessary, the release said.
Folwell’s chief responsibilities are to manage the $100 billion in state pension investments and provide oversight of the health insurance plan for over 725,000 state employees, teachers, retirees and their dependents.
Folwell, a former state legislator and local school board member is running for reelection in November against Democrat Ronnie Chatterji.
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