Secretary of State Frank LaRose began experiencing mild COVID symptoms on Sunday evening and tested positive via rapid test on Monday morning.
His office says LaRose is fully vaccinated and boosted but has postponed all public events this week.
LaRose was at a meeting of the Ohio Redistricting Commission Saturday where he sat, unmasked most of the time, with other members of the panel, including Gov. Mike DeWine.
A spokesman for DeWine says he was not a close contact and was sitting at the opposite end of the hearing room. He is not quarantining.
Photos from the meeting show House Minority Leader Allison Russo was the commission member seated closest to LaRose Saturday. She was wearing a mask. A spokeswoman for the Ohio House Democratic Caucus, Maya Majikas, says Russo was notified of the exposure. Majikas says Russo has received the vaccine booster and will follow current CDC guidance for close exposure. That includes wearing a mask for 10 days and monitoring closely for any symptoms.
As for LaRose, he says he feels fine and went on a run Sunday evening. But he continued to have minor symptoms before testing positive Monday morning.
Copyright 2022 The Statehouse News Bureau. To see more, visit The Statehouse News Bureau. 9(MDA3NTY5MTc2MDEzMDY5NDU2MjQ3NDZhOA001))
