Sen. Tillis announces positive COVID test

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC)

CHARLOTTE – Sen. Thom Tillis announced a rapid antigen test indicated he was positive for COVID-19.

Tillis wrote on Facebook that he has been routinely tested for the coronavirus, and as recently as last Saturday he had tested negative until Friday. “I will be following the recommendations of my doctor and will be self-isolating at home for 10 days and notifying those I’ve been in close contact with. Thankfully, I have no symptoms and I feel well,” Tillis wrote. 

His post continued, “As we all know, COVID-19 is a very contagious and deadly virus, especially because many carriers are asymptomatic. I encourage all North Carolinians to follow the recommendations of medical experts, including wearing a mask, washing hands, and practicing social distancing. For any North Carolinian who believes they were exposed to the virus or starts to display symptoms, please call your doctor, self-isolate, and get tested to protect those around you.” 

Re-election campaign manager Luke Blanchat said in a statement his campaign notified Democratic Senate opponent Cal Cunningham’s campaign as well as Spectrum News, who hosted Thursday’s third and final debate between the two candidates. 

“Tillis campaign staffers who were exposed to the Senator this week will now quarantine and will receive tests in the coming days. Our Charlotte campaign headquarters is now closed and we are halting all in-person campaign events until further notice. Additionally, we are reaching out to any individuals who may have come into contact with Senator Tillis during the campaign events we held this week,” said the statement from Blanchat.