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Birx travels, family visits highlight pandemic safety perils

Updated: 2020-12-23 14:59
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White House Coronavirus Task Force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx leaves after a television interview at the White House in Washington, September 30, 2020. [Photo/Agencies]

While in Delaware, she conducted an interview with CBS' "Face the Nation" in which she noted some Americans "went across the country or even into the next state" for the holiday weekend.

"Some people may have made mistakes over the Thanksgiving time period," Birx said in the interview, adding that those who travelled should assume they were infected.

Birx's job makes her an "essential worker" by federal guidelines, in a position that requires extensive travel to consult with state and local officials on the pandemic response. She has traveled to 43 states, driving 25,000 miles, she said, often to coronavirus hot spots. Birx also has an office in the White House, where numerous COVID-19 infections have been revealed.

Through it all, she said she has kept herself and her family safe through isolating, wearing a mask and regular testing.

Birx has not said how long she isolates for before visiting family. Medical experts say people who only recently became infected often do not test positive. They say wearing a mask has limited efficacy in an environment such as the White House, where few others use them.

Margaret Flynn, the children's other grandmother comes to the Potomac home to provide child care, then returns to her husband, who has health complications. Birx said that she hasn't seen the other grandmother since the beginning of the pandemic and does not know how frequently she visits the Potomac house.

Flynn confirmed that she hasn't spoken to Birx in months. Flynn declined to say how frequently she visits the home to look after the grandchildren.

From the podium at the White House, Birx has spoken about how she comes from a multigenerational family with her parents and her daughter's family, including grandchildren, all living under one roof. Many saw that as a relatable family dilemma.

In early April, she said she understood the sacrifices many were making and explained that she couldn't visit her Potomac home when one of her grandchildren had a high fever.

"I did not go there," she said, while standing next to President Donald Trump. "You can't take that kind of risk."

She has resumed her visits to the house since then.

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