Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. and Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond have both returned to work at the Pentagon following a COVID-19 scare among the Joint Chiefs of Staff, USAF spokesperson Ann M. Stefanek confirmed to Air Force Magazine on Oct. 20.
The Associated Press first reported that the Joint Chiefs received the green light to resume work in the building.
“The go-ahead to resume work from the Pentagon was given last week, in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and after members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff had multiple negative tests for the virus, officials said Monday,” they wrote on Oct. 19.
Stefanek did not comment on how many times Brown and Raymond needed to test negative in order to get that OK, or indicate whether they had to meet any other medical criteria prior to receiving the all-clear.
Brown, Raymond, and other top brass self-quarantined at home after Coast Guard Vice Commandant Adm. Charles W. Ray tested positive for the new coronavirus on Oct. 5, in case they were unknowingly exposed during Pentagon meetings the week prior, Air Force Magazine previously reported.
As of the morning of Oct. 19, the Defense Department had recorded a total of 75,049 cases of the new coronavirus disease among its uniformed personnel, civilian employees, contractors, and military dependents since the pandemic began. Department of the Air Force troops—save for Air National Guard personnel—accounted for 8,057 of these cases.