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Wife of Trump's labor secretary, who was at Barrett Rose Garden event, tests positive for Covid-19

Secretary Eugene Scalia, the son of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, tested negative Friday night, according to the Labor Department.
Image: Eugene Scalia, Patricia Scalia, US-VOTE-COURT-GINSBURG
Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia and his wife, Trish, pay respects to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as she lies in repose in front of the Supreme Court on Sept. 23.Alex Brandon / Pool via AFP - Getty Images file

Trish Scalia, the wife of President Donald Trump's Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia, has tested positive for Covid-19, the Labor Department said Tuesday night.

The agency said in a statement that doctors performed the test Tuesday afternoon. She has "mild symptoms but [is] doing well," the statement said.

Eugene Scalia, the son of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, tested negative Friday night, according to the Labor Department. He has experienced no symptoms.

"The Secretary and Mrs. Scalia will follow the advice of health professionals for Trish's recovery and the health of those around them. For the time being, the Secretary will work from home while continuing to carry out the mission of the Department and the President's agenda," the agency said in the statement.

The secretary and his wife attended the Rose Garden ceremony last month where Trump officially nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the seat of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Barrett's confirmation hearing began this week.

Image: Trish Scalia and Melania Trump
Trish Scalia, in blue, sits behind first lady Melania Trump at Judge Amy Coney Barrett's introduction as President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee at a White House event on Sept. 26.Al Drago / Redux Pictures file

Scalia sat behind first lady Melania Trump and next to former senior presidential adviser Kellyanne Conway, both of whom have contracted the virus.

Trish Scalia is the latest high-profile person — which includes White House staffers, members of Congress and Trump campaign staff members — to have tested positive for the virus. More than a dozen people connected to the administration, Congress or Trump's campaign were infected, including the first lady and the president, who has since recovered.

The Trump administration has been sharply criticized for its response to the virus, and public health experts have called the ceremony at the White House a "superspreader" event. The disease, which has shuttered businesses nationwide and sent the economy into a tailspin, has killed more than 200,000 people since the end of February. There have been nearly 8 million confirmed cases in the U.S.

CORRECTION (Oct. 14, 2020, 4:55 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated when President Donald Trump held a ceremony at the White House to announce Judge Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court. The event was on Sept. 26, not earlier this month.