WHO Director Enters Self-Quarantine After Close Contact With COVID-19 Positive Person

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), attends a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 25, 2020. Denis Balibouse/Reuters

World Health Organization (WHO) director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he has entered self-quarantine after coming into contact with an individual who tested positive for COVID-19, the disease the CCP virus causes.

Ghebreyesus made the announcement in a post on Twitter on Sunday.

“I have been identified as a contact of someone who has tested positive for #COVID19,” Ghebreyesus wrote. “I am well and without symptoms but will self-quarantine over the coming days, in line with @WHO protocols, and work from home.” In a follow-up tweet, he urged the importance of following and complying with the health guidance, adding, “This is how we will break chains of #COVID19 transmission, suppress the virus, and protect health systems.”

He said that he and his WHO colleagues will “continue to engage with partners in solidarity to save lives and protect the vulnerable. Together!”

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (R) and WHO Health Emergencies Programme Director Dr. Mike Ryan attend a press briefing on COVID-19 in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 6, 2020. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people who have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus and are not experiencing symptoms should self-quarantine for 14 days from the moment of their exposure to ensure that the person who came into contact with a positively-tested person doesn’t get sick or pass on the virus to other people.

“Last potential exposure would initially be determined by the case investigator,” CDC stated.

The individual should also monitor themselves for any symptoms that might appear and not come into contact with anyone who might be considered at high risk for the CCP virus, such as the elderly and those with illnesses.

The agency states that undergoing self-quarantine will prevent transmission of the virus to other people and “is critical to the success of case investigation and contact tracing efforts.”