Gov. Murphy in quarantine after family member tests positive

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New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (Pool file photo)

TRENTON, N.J. - Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey canceled in-person public events because a member of his family recently tested positive for COVID-19, the governor's office said in a statement.

Mahen Gunaratna, the governor's communications director, said Murphy tested negative for the coronavirus earlier Wednesday. 

"After careful review, the Governor does not qualify as an exposed close contact," Gunaratna said in a statement. "However, out of an abundance of caution and in line with the highest levels of commitment to protecting public health, the Governor will be canceling in-person events and voluntarily quarantining before resuming any in-person engagements."

Gunaratna didn't identify the family member but said that the "contact tracing process has begun to notify everyone who may have come into contact with" that person.

Murphy's Wednesday news conference was delayed and held via Facebook Live with the governor piping in remotely.

"We are being extra, extra careful here adhering to the CDC guidelines but also taking no chances," Murphy said.

The governor visited a vaccination site in Jersey City on Wednesday morning. 

Gov. Murphy in quarantine after senior aide tests positive (Oct. 2020)

This is the second time the governor has gone into isolation amid the pandemic. In October, he abruptly left an event, saying he just found out a person he was in contact with over the weekend tested positive for the virus.

With The Associated Press