All four administration witnesses scheduled to testify before the Senate Health Committee this week will appear by videoconference out of “an abundance of caution,” the committee chairman said Sunday.
Three of the four witnesses are in some form of quarantine after possibly being exposed to COVID-19: Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn.
A fourth witness, Dr. Brett Giroir, is also scheduled to testify at Tuesday’s Senate Health Committee hearing about the government response to COVID-19.
The quarantine measures follow the discovery of two known coronavirus cases at the White House, including the vice president’s press secretary.
The NIAID said Fauci tested negative for COVID-19 and is considered to be “at relatively low risk based on the degree of his exposure.” Fauci, whose quarantine was described as “modified,” initially was expected to show up to the Senate for his testimony on Tuesday. But, “after consulting with Dr. Fauci, and in an abundance of caution for our witnesses, senators, and the staff, all four administration witnesses will appear by videoconference due to these unusual circumstances,” Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander said in a statement.
