Joe Biden, 80, was tested for the virus on Monday and Tuesday following his wife’s positive test, but his results were negative.
New Delhi: The White House confirmed on Tuesday night that United States President Joe Biden tested negative for Covid-19 for the second time and will travel to India to attend the G20 Summit. NSA Jake Sullivan stated that President Biden will travel to New Delhi on Thursday to attend the summit, and on Friday, he will participate in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also mentioned that the US President will take part in the official sessions of the G20 summit on Sunday.
“On Thursday, the President will travel to New Delhi in India to attend the G20 Leaders’ summit. On Friday, President Biden will participate in a bilateral with India’s Prime Minister Modi. Sunday, the President will participate in official sessions of G20 summit…”, said Sullivan.
However, first lady Jill Biden, who tested positive for Covid-19, she is experiencing mild symptoms and will remain in Delaware for the week.
“An update on the President and the first lady Jill Biden since she tested positive for COVID-19 last night. I can tell you that the first lady is experiencing mild symptoms and will remain in Delaware for the week. President Biden tested negative last night for COVID-19 and tested negative again today,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a briefing.
“He (President Biden) is not experiencing any symptoms as far as the steps he has taken since the President was with the first lady yesterday. He will be masking while indoors and around people in alignment with CDC guidelines. As has been practised in the past the President will remove his mask when sufficiently distance from others indoors and outside as well,” she said.
Notably, the US president tested positive for Covid-19 a few days before his official visit to India for the G20 Summit, which is scheduled to take place on September 9 and 10.
When asked by a reporter if he was looking forward to his visits to India and Vietnam, Biden responded, “Yes, I am.” During the summit in the national capital on September 9 and 10, Biden will commend PM Modi for his leadership of the G20, as earlier stated by the White House.
“The President will travel to New Delhi, India, to attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit. On Friday, the President will participate in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” the White House mentioned in its week-ahead schedule for the President, released on September 7.
On August 29, the White House press secretary stated that the US President will “reaffirm US commitment to the G20” as the premier forum of global economic cooperation and will also address a range of issues, including the social effects of Russia’s war in Ukraine, as disclosed by the White House during a media briefing by Karine Jean-Pierre.
In the announcement of the US President’s schedule, Pierre stated that Biden “will journey to Hanoi, Vietnam, on September 10, following his involvement in the G20 Summit in New Delhi.”
In another major development regarding the G20 summit, Chinese Premier Li Qiang is scheduled to participate in the 18th G20 Summit in Delhi this weekend, as stated by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a concise statement on its website on Monday afternoon. The announcement implies that President Xi Jinping will not be in attendance, as Beijing typically refrains from sending its two most influential leaders overseas simultaneously, particularly to the same event.