Three members of the White House coronavirus task force, including Dr Anthony Fauci have placed themselves in quarantine after contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19, AP reported.

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a leading member of the task force, has become nationally known for his simple and direct explanations to the public about Covid-19. Also quarantining are Dr Robert Redfield, director of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Stephen Hahn.

The CDC and FDA would not disclose the identity of the person who had tested positive and with whom the agency leaders had come in contact.