COVID-19 positive Marine assigned to president’s helicopter squadron ‘quarantined and recovering’

On July 23 a Marine assigned to Marine Helicopter Squadron 1, tasked with transporting the president, tested positive for the potentially deadly COVID-19, Politico reported.

The squadron, based in Quantico, Virginia, operates “Marine One” and tasked with transporting the president when traveling short distances.

The Marine is currently “quarantined and recovering” from the virus, Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Joseph Butterfield told Marine Corps Times Monday.

Due to Department of Defense policy not to release COVID-19 numbers for specific commands Butterfield was unable to say whether any other Marines in the unit had tested positive for the virus.

There have been 3,110 Marines that have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Thursday, according to the DoD.

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The Marine, along with the squadron was in Bedminster, New Jersey, ahead of President Donald Trump’s planned weekend visit when the command was informed of the positive case, Politico reported.

The unit performs between 80 and 100 “random and targeted” tests for the virus every week, Butterfield told Marine Corps Times in a Monday email.

“The infected Marine was never in direct contact with the President’s helicopter, Marine One,” Butterfield sad in the email.

“To ensure the cleanliness of all HMX-1 aircraft in Bedminster, HMX-1 is sanitizing each helicopter in accordance with the guidelines published by the Center for Disease Control,” he added.

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