Kamala Harris will not attend virtual White House event marking Equal Pay Day

This week, US Vice President Kamala Harris was slated to attend a White House event marking Equal Pay Day as the administration seeks to close the gender and racial pay gap. However, Harris will no longer be attending the event due to the recent COVID-19 diagnosis of second gentleman Doug Emhoff.

Harris’s office released a statement announcing that Emhoff tested positive for COVID-19. Deputy Press Secretary Sabina Singh said that while Harris has tested negative, she will not be attending the event and will continue to get tested for COVID-19. Emhoff said on social media that he is experiencing mild symptoms.

“Earlier today, the Second Gentleman tested positive for COVID-19,” said the statement by Harris’s deputy press secretary Sabina Singh. “Out of an abundance of caution, the Vice President will not participate in tonight’s event. The Vice President tested negative for COVID-19 today and will continue to test.”

“I tested positive for COVID. My symptoms are mild and I’m grateful to be both vaccinated and boosted,” tweeted Emhoff, who encouraged those who have yet to get vaccinated to do so by sharing the link to the site providing users with information on their nearest vaccination location.

US President Joe Biden referenced Harris and Emhoff’s absence in his remarks commemorating the occasion. When pressed if Biden is required to get tested for COVID-19, the White House said that it is not required according to COVID-19 protocols. So far, the US leader tested negative on Sunday.

Last week, Harris traveled to Poland and Romania, where, during her visit to Warsaw, she stressed that both the US and Poland were united on the policy towards Ukraine as Russia’s invasion continues. At a joint press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda, Harris said that Washington’s military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine is an “ongoing process.”

“I want to be very clear: the United States and Poland are united in what we have done and are prepared to do to help Ukraine and the people of Ukraine, full stop,” said Harris.

During her visit to Poland, Harris also reiterated Washington’s commitment to protect and defend “every inch of NATO territory” under the collective treaty of the alliance. While Poland became a NATO member country in 1991, Ukraine is not yet part of the alliance, but has partner status.