The Army Chief of Staff is back at the Pentagon with a clean bill of health after he and the other members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were exposed to COVID-19 last week following high-level meetings that included the Coast Guard’s second-in-command who tested positive for the virus.
After spending several days in self-quarantine, Gen. James C. McConville was at the Pentagon on Tuesday for a press conference that included Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston.
“I was tested this morning — all negative. I’ve been cleared by the docs to come back in,” Gen. McConville said. “There have been no positive tests — all negative, all the way through.”
Adm. Charles Ray, the vice commandant of the Coast Guard, tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 5 after feeling mild symptoms over the previous weekend. Subsequent contact tracing resulted in most of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — along with the head of U.S. Cyber Command — going into temporary quarantine. Only Gen. David Berger, the commandant of the Marine Corps, avoided quarantine because he never came in contact with Adm. Ray.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we did quarantine,” Gen. McConville said.
He declined to say whether any of his fellow members of the Joint Chiefs have been medically cleared to return to the Pentagon.
“Every day is a great day to be in the Army,” Gen. McConville said.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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