The United States Sec. of State Antony Blinken was forced to cut his trip to Southeast Asia short after an infection was detected among a member of the group traveling with him.
According to a State Department official, a reporter in Blinken’s entourage tested positive for COVID during the trip, causing the secretary of state to return to the U.S. early out of an “abundance of caution.”
The positive case was confirmed on December 15th, just as Blinken had arrived in Malaysia. He had been in Indonesia for the previous two days.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price confirmed that the secretary of state was forced to cancel planned meetings with the foreign minister of Thailand on December 16th.
Sec. Blinken expressed his deep regret to the foreign minister over the cancellation via a phone call.
“The secretary extended an invitation for the foreign minister to visit Washington, D.C. at the earliest opportunity and noted that he looked forward to traveling to Thailand as soon as possible,” Price said. “They affirmed that they would use the upcoming engagements to further deepen the US-Thai alliance.”
According to the State Department, the reporter who tested positive for COVID, who has not been identified, will remain quarantined in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, until their symptoms subside.
