US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tested positive for Covid-19, the State Department said on Wednesday.
The department's statement said that he "tested positive for Covid-19 this afternoon via a PCR test. The secretary is fully vaccinated and boosted against the virus and is experiencing only mild symptoms".
Mr Blinken joins a growing list of high-profile people who have been infected with coronavirus in Washington after a weekend of events around the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
The White House and the State Department said President Joe Biden is not a close contact.
"He has not seen the president in several days and [Mr Biden] is not considered a close contact," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a briefing.
She said Mr Biden tested negative for the disease on Tuesday.
The president also attended the Saturday evening event along with Ms Psaki, Mr Blinken and members of the press for the first in-person edition of the event since the pandemic began.
Hollywood stars such Kim Kardashian, Pete Davidson and Brooke Shields attended. Comedian Trevor Noah hosted.
Those attending were required to be fully vaccinated and boosted, and have a same-day Covid negative test result.
CNN reported on Tuesday evening that several members of US news organisations who went to the dinner or surrounding events at the weekend have tested positive for coronavirus.
The State Department says Mr Blinken will isolate and work remotely for the time being.
Vice President Kamala Harris has recently tested out of her isolation following testing positive for coronavirus last week and is wearing a face mask during outings, per federal health guidance.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
