Attorney General Raoul tests positive for COVID-19
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced he has tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing symptoms over the weekend and taking a test Monday.
Raoul received his test results Tuesday.
The first-term attorney general said he has been isolating himself since he began feeling sick.
"We are in the process of notifying individuals I may have come into contact with so that they can self-isolate and seek telehealth guidance," he said in a statement released by his office.
Raoul attended an event with Gov. J.B. Pritzker on June 6, a spokeswoman for Pritzker said. Pritzker "always wears a mask and will be tested again today," spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh said Tuesday.
Pritzker spoke to Raoul Tuesday "to wish him a speedy recovery," she added.
In addition to the June 6 event, Raoul also participated in a personal protective equipment giveaway June 13 on Chicago's South Side.
"The attorney general wore a mask at both events, and we have notified organizers so that individuals who came into contact with the attorney general can seek the advice of their medical providers and self-quarantine," said Annie Thompson, a spokeswoman for Raoul.
Raoul is the first statewide elected official to be diagnosed with the disease.
Pritzker and several top aides in his office went into self-isolation more than a month ago when a senior staff member tested positive for the disease. That state worker was never identified and Pritzker never tested positive for the virus.
There is no mention in Raoul's statement of where he might have contracted the disease. The attorney general's offices have been open during the outbreak.
It's unknown how many staff members will now have to be tested and whether any of his offices will be closed for cleaning.
Officials in his office said they have contacted "a handful" workers at his office in the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago about the need to be tested and self isolate.
"My symptoms continue to be mild, and I am in regular contact with my staff in order to continue to manage the operations of my office," Raoul said.
"As I join the countless Illinois residents working from home, the programs and services provided by the attorney general's office will continue uninterrupted."
Raoul, a prostate cancer survivor, is a former Democratic state senator from Chicago who represented the same district as former President Barack Obama.
Raoul ascended to the attorney general's office last year after beating out seven others for the Democratic nomination and then beating Republican Erika Harold in the general election with 54% of the vote.