Georgia senator David Perdue in coronavirus quarantine ahead of runoff and planned Donald Trump rally

#Georgia #Republican senator #David #Perdue is in quarantine just days before the state’s #Senate runoff elections after announcing he was exposed to a coronavirus case.

#Both #Mr #Perdue and fellow #Republican senator #Kelly #Loeffler are contesting the high-stakes runoffs on #Thursday.

#If both #Republican incumbents lose, #Democrats will control the #Senate.

#Mr #Perdue’s campaign did not say how long he planned to stay in quarantine, but guidelines of the federal #Centers for #Disease #Control say those exposed to the virus can resume normal activities after seven days if they have a negative test result.

#Following that guidance would keep #Mr #Perdue in isolation for the remainder of the campaign.

“#This morning, #Senator #Perdue was notified that he came into close contact with someone on the campaign who tested positive for COVID-19,” a campaign statement said.

“#Both #Senator #Perdue and his wife tested negative today, but following his doctor’s recommendations and in accordance with CDC guidelines, they will quarantine.”

US #President #Donald #Trump had scheduled a rally in the north-west of #Georgia to fire-up support for the runoff.

#President #Trump returns to #Washington to highlight achievements on social media

The #President returned to #Washington DC early from his resort in #Florida.

The #White #House has given no reason for his early return, but it coincides with #Mr #Trump’s fight with #Congress over his veto of a major defence bill and his demand for increased COVID-19 stimulus checks, as well as a spike in tensions with #Iran.

#In a video posted on social media, #Mr #Trump praised his administration’s “historic victories”, which he said included its handling of the coronavirus pandemic and rebuilding the economy.

“#Before the pandemic we built the greatest economy in the history of the world,” he said.

“#Now we are doing it again.”

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#He also highlighted immigration and freezing student loans as other accomplishments of his administration.

The #President ignored shouted questions from reporters about #Iran and whether he would attend president-elect #Joe #Biden’s #January 20 inauguration when he arrived back at the #White #House.

#Mr #Trump has not formally conceded the last #November’s election he lost to #Mr #Biden.

AP/Reuters