The United States First lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing “mild symptoms”. 

The White House announced on Tuesday that Ms Biden began experiencing mild symptoms on Monday. 

“Close contacts of the First Lady have been notified,” Ms Biden’s communications director, Elizabeth Alexander, said in a statement. “She is currently staying at a private residence in South Carolina and will return home after she receives two consecutive negative COVID tests.”

President Joe Biden tested negative on Tuesday after recently recovering from the virus on August 7 but will be wearing a face mask indoors for 10 days as a precaution. 

“Consistent with CDC guidance because he is a close contact of the First Lady, he will mask for 10 days when indoors and in close proximity to others. We will also increase the President’s testing cadence and report those results,” Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted.

Mr Biden’s travel plans include returning to Washington on Tuesday to sign Democrats’ landmark climate change and health care bill, the Inflation Reduction Act, which aims to tackle climate change while lowering the deficit and the cost of prescription drugs before returning home to Wilmington, Delaware.

The Bidens have been vacationing in South Carolina since August 10. Ms Biden has been prescribed the antiviral drug Paxlovid and will be isolated at the vacation home for at least five days.