New York Mayor Eric Adams has tested positive for Covid-19, a spokesperson said Sunday afternoon.
“This AM, @NYCMayor woke up with a raspy voice and, out of an abundance of caution, took a PCR test that has come back positive,” press secretary Fabien Levy posted on Twitter. “At this time, the mayor has no other symptoms, but he is already isolating and will be cancelling all public events for the week.”
Levy added that Adams, 61, will continue to work remotely and “immediately begin taking the anti-viral meds offered for free to NYC residents and encourages all New Yorkers eligible for these meds to take them as well.”
Adams attended an annual high-profile dinner at the Gridiron Club in Washington, D.C., last weekend, which turned into a superspreader event, with at least 67 attendees testing positive for Covid-19, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Attorney General Merrick Garland, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
Adams was in the state capital, Albany, as recently as Saturday for meetings with lawmakers.
Last month, Adams lifted the vaccination mandate for indoor businesses, dining and events throughout New York City after similar moves in Seattle and Boston.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, subvariant BA.2 of the omicron variant of the coronavirus now accounts for more than 70 percent of new cases of the virus in the U.S., although case numbers remain low nationally. The BA.2 subvariant has also fueled a recent rise in cases in New York City, but hospitalization and death rates throughout the city remain low.