"The American Conservative Union has learned that one of our CPAC attendees has unfortunately tested positive today for coronavirus. The exposure occurred previous to the conference. A New Jersey hospital tested the person, and the CDC confirmed the positive result. The individual is under the care of medical professionals in the state of New Jersey, and has been quarantined", the Saturday statement says.
Important Health Notification for CPAC 2020 participants and attendees. pic.twitter.com/NtahNO8st3
— ACU (@ACUConservative) March 7, 2020
The conference took place at the end of last month at National Harbor outside Washington DC and was attended by US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, among other political figures.
"This attendee had no interaction with the President or the Vice President and never attended the events in the main hall", the CPAC statement says, adding that the "Trump administration is aware of the situation".
Earlier on Saturday, Mayor of Washington DC Muriel Bowser said that the first presumptive positive case of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) had been registered in the city.
Asked whether the patient had attended CPAC, Bowser told reporters during a press briefing "I do not believe either of them attended CPAC".
According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are over 160 confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States. Eleven people have died from COVID-19 in the US.
On a global scale, as of Saturday, the number of coronavirus cases has exceeded 105,000, with more than 90 countries reporting infections. In addition, over 3,550 people have already died from the disease, while more than 58,000 have fully recovered.
