Ben Carson, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, has tested positive for coronavirus.
The news comes less than a week after President Donald Trump’s chief of staff also tested positive for the virus, NBC reported. The Trump campaign hosted an indoors, in-person election night party.
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Carson, who is a retired neurosurgeon and serves on Trump’s coronavirus task force, “is in good spirits and feels fortunate to have access to effective therapeutics which aid and markedly speed his recovery,” Coalter Baker, HUD deputy chief of staff, said in a statement to NBC.
Under Carson’s leadership, HUD has rolled back fair housing protections — including axing an Obama-era rule which mandated that localities study disparate impacts of development. Some say that change will lead to increased housing discrimination.
The Trump administration has received criticism for hosting large gatherings despite the health risks. Numerous officials and White House staff, including the president, have contracted the virus in recent weeks.
[NBC News] — Georgia Kromrei