Governor candidate Jon Huntsman has tested negative for COVID-19, his campaign announced Monday, several days after the team revealed one of its staffers had the illness.
The former Utah governor went into quarantine last week and canceled all his in-person appearances upon learning of the staffer’s positive test for the coronavirus.
“The health of each member of our team and the public is our primary concern,” Huntsman said in a prepared statement last week. “We will follow the instructions of health experts and not put politics and campaign concerns ahead of health and safety.”
After getting word of the staffer’s positive test, the Huntsman campaign sought guidance from public health experts, closed the campaign headquarters for a cleaning and began to alert anyone who might have been in contact with the staff member during the time the person was contagious, the release stated.
The ill staff member was told to work from home. The campaign will adhere to these new safety precautions until health experts give them the all-clear, according to a news release.
One of Huntsman’s daughters, Liddy Huntsman, tweeted her frustration Monday at the length of time it’s taken to hear back about her COVID-19 test results.
“Day 4 of waiting for COVID results,” she wrote. “Now telling me system tracking results is shut down. As high risk diabetic, in house full of people, this is why cases keep rising in this state!”
Editor’s note • Paul Huntsman, a brother of Jon Huntsman, is chairman of The Salt Lake Tribune’s nonprofit board of directors.