Gov. JB Pritzker Isolating After Possible COVID-19 Exposure

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Gov. JB Pritzker is self-isolating after he was possibly exposed to COVID-19 earlier this week during a meeting at his office.

The governor's office said they were notified of the possible exposure this afternoon, during an "external meeting" with the governor on Monday in a large conference room in his office at the Thompson Center.

Pritzker was tested after learning of the possible exposure, and his results will be made public when available. The governor's office said they are also conducting contact tracing and "following all necessary health protocols" from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

"The Governor is currently isolating pending his test results," the governor's office said in a statement.

The announcement came about an hour and a half after Pritzker wrapped up his daily coronavirus briefing at the Thompson Center. The governor's office did not immediately respond to questions asking when they were notified of the possible exposure.

It's the third time Pritzker is isolating this year after a potential exposure to the virus.

Three times earlier this year, staffers in the governor's office tested positive for the virus, twice prompting Pritzker to work from home for two weeks.

In late September, a senior staffer who had been traveling with the governor across the state over several days began feeling sick and tested positive for the virus. The governor and others in his office who had close contact with that staffer self-isolated for two weeks.

The governor and his top staff also self-isolated for two weeks in May, after a senior staffer tested positive for the coronavirus, but was asymptomatic.

A third staffer in the governor's office also tested positive for COVID-19 in April, but did not have regular close contact with Pritzker, so the governor did not self-isolate in that instance.

The staffers who tested positive have all since recovered.