South Carolina governor tests positive for Covid-19

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster tested positive for Covid-19 Monday evening.

The Republican governor, 73, is “experiencing mild symptoms with a cough and slight fatigue,” his office said in a statement Tuesday.

The governor has been in quarantine since his wife, Peggy, tested positive for the virus on Friday. The first lady remains asymptomatic, according to her husband’s office.

He will receive a monoclonal antibody treatment Tuesday, his office said, and will isolate over the next 10 days and continue to work from the governor’s residence.

The McMasters were guests at a White House Christmas party held indoors last week in Washington. The governor’s office said the couple had tested negative for Covid-19 prior to attending the festivities.

In light of Peggy McMaster’s positive test, Brian Symmes, a spokesman for the governor, told The State newspaper of Columbia that the two wore “a face covering when it was necessary and when social distancing wasn’t possible” at the party.

In a statement Tuesday, McMaster called on “everyone to be extra careful during the Christmas holiday season.” At a news conference ahead of the holidays, he had asked residents to “be smart,” encouraged small gatherings, spacing tables away from each other or holding family gatherings outdoors.

McMaster is the latest US governor to test positive for Covid-19 after Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, tested positive for the virus earlier this month. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt have also contracted it, and South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette also fell ill with the virus back in September.

The US is dealing with increased cases and hospitalizations and the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions is pleading with Americans to avoid travel during the holiday season. South Carolina has had 275,733 cases of Covid-19 and 4,962 deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

This story has been updated with additional details and background information.