US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has put himself under
quarantine after coming in contact with a person infected with the COVID-19, CNN
reported on Wednesday.

The top diplomat himself has been tested negative, but is
isolating as per the CDC guideline.

The identity of the person with whom Pompeo came in contact
is not revealed for privacy reasons.

“Secretary Pompeo has been identified as having come
into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID,” a State
Department spokesperson said, as per the CNN report. “For reasons of privacy we can’t identify
that individual.”

“The Secretary has been tested and is negative. In
accordance with CDC guidelines, he will be in quarantine,” they said.
“He is being closely monitored by the Department’s medical team.”

His office has cancelled all his engagements in last two
days, also probably the upcoming ones.

Pompeo was slated to meet with President-elect Joe Biden’s
pick to succeed him, Antony Blinken, on Thursday for the first time, CNN
reported this week. He will no longer meet in person with Blinken, sources
familiar with the meeting tell CNN. It is unclear if the meeting will take
place virtually.

Pompeo’s news of isolation has come at a time when the White
House has organized a string of in-person holiday gatherings, even the country
reels under a groaning toll of deaths and a rapid surge in COVID-19 cases
across the board.

Since August a number of White House staffers have caught COVID-19 and recovered from it, including President Donald Trump and his
wife, the First Lady, Melania trump.

Pompeo’s office has also canceled two holiday gatherings for
foreign ambassadors in Washington that were scheduled to take place at the
department on Wednesday and where Pompeo was scheduled to give remarks,
according to an internal schedule reviewed by CNN.

Earlier on Tuesday, Pompeo and his wife absented themselves
from a gathering organized to welcome the family members of diplomats stationed
at dangerous posts overseas.