Gov. Gavin Newsom tests positive for COVID-19 after trip to Baja California

Gov. Gavin Newsom tested positive for COVID-19 days after returning from a personal trip to Baja California, his office said Wednesday night.

The governor is exhibiting “mild symptoms” while First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom has tested negative, according to spokesperson Alex Stack.

Newsom will work remotely and self-isolate for at least five days, in accordance with the latest guidance from the California Department of Public Health, Stack said.

The governor will be tuning in virtually to a press conference with Attorney General Rob Bonta on Thursday for an undisclosed “major announcement.” Newsom’s statewide tour that is scheduled from March 16-19 and will take the place of his usual State of the State speech is still on.

The governor left the state on Thursday and returned on Sunday after traveling to Baja California for a personal trip. Upon his return, Newsom met with emergency response officials Sunday at the State Operations Center in Sacramento for an update on the winter storms and the state’s response efforts, according to a press release from his office.

This is the second time Newsom was infected by the virus. He also tested positive for COVID-19 in May 2022. He had mild symptoms then and received a prescription for the antiviral drug Paxlovid, his office said at that time. Newsom is fully vaccinated and has at least two booster shots, according to a press release from his office last summer.

Newsom’s latest case of the virus comes about a week after California’s COVID-19 state of emergency ended. Over the course of the pandemic, more than 11 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported in California and 100,424 people who were infected have died across the state, according to data from the public health department.

This story was originally published March 8, 2023 at 8:20 PM.