ATLANTA — Sen. David Perdue will begin a quarantine with his Senate re-election runoff just days away, he said in a statement Thursday, after he came into contact with someone on the campaign who tested positive for COVID-19.
The statement said Perdue and his wife, Bonnie, both tested negative today, but "following his doctor's recommendations and in accordance with CDC guidelines, they will quarantine."
It's unclear how long they will quarantine for, though current CDC guidelines still recommend a full 14-day period. The agency does allow that a quarantine could go only seven days "if a diagnostic specimen tests negative and if no symptoms were reported during daily monitoring."
But even that would effectively mean Perdue's time on the campaign trail is finished, with Senate runoff voting on Tuesday.
He had been set to attend a rally in Dalton on Monday with President Donald Trump and Sen. Kelly Loeffler.
The full statement from Perdue's campaign said: "This morning, Senator Perdue was notified that he came into close contact with someone on the campaign who tested positive for COVID-19.
"Both Senator Perdue and his wife tested negative today, but following his doctor's recommendations and in accordance with CDC guidelines, they will quarantine. The Senator and his wife have been tested regularly throughout the campaign, and the team will continue to follow CDC guidelines. Further information will be provided when available."
Perdue is locked in a tight race with Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff. According to the last 11Alive poll released last week, Perdue trails by about five points, after trailing by two points in an earlier poll.
However, the margin of error is such that the race is effectively up for grabs between the two.
The incumbent Republican led Ossoff in the general election by about two percent, but did not clear the 50% + 1 threshold to avoid a runoff.