Baltimore Mayor Tests Positive For COVID-19

BALTIMORE, MD — The mayor of Baltimore has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a statement from his office.

Mayor Brandon M. Scott got tested for the virus Friday but had two positive test results on Monday, officials said.

“The Mayor regularly gets tested for COVID-19 to safeguard the health of City Hall colleagues and Baltimoreans he meets in the community," said Cal Harris, who is the mayor's communications director.

The mayor is working with health officials on contact tracing, since he attended outdoor events over the weekend, according to Harris. He was at the Parade of Latino Nations on Eastern Avenue on Sunday and on Saturday he attended soft opening for the St. Francis Neighborhood Center on Linden Avenue as well as a groundbreaking for Parity Homes in Harlem Park.

“Mayor Scott tested positive for COVID-19 late this morning, and is currently self-isolating at his home in Northeast Baltimore," Harris said in a statement Monday afternoon. "The Mayor is asymptomatic and currently feels fine. He will work remotely until he is officially cleared to return to City Hall."

Harris said the mayor's positive test results were evidence of the infectious nature of the virus.

"Despite being vaccinated and following Baltimore City’s health protocols, breakthrough infections are a real threat," Harris said. "This could have been a different situation if Mayor Scott were not vaccinated, which is why he continues to work closely with [Health] Commissioner [Letitia] Dzirasa to support ongoing vaccination efforts across Baltimore.”

The Baltimore City Health Department offers weekly COVID-19 vaccination clinics and testing. It also has walk-up vaccinations Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon at the Baltimore Convention Center Field Hospital, 1. Pratt Street, in the outdoor covered location accessible from Sharp Street.

Said Harris: “This serves as another reminder of the vast challenges faced by the ongoing global pandemic."