Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was in the intensive care unit for seven days with COVID-19, he revealed Thursday, and he admitted he was “wrong” to not wear a mask at a ceremony for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett.
He was released from the hospital October 10, after checking in on October 3.
Christie said he thought he was in a “safe zone” at the White House, where many thought testing would protect them from the virus. Christie was at higher-risk for serious complications from COVID-19 because he is overweight and suffers from asthma.
“I believed when I entered the White House grounds, that I had entered a safe zone, due to the testing that I and many others underwent every day,” Christie said in a statement. “I was wrong.” He had also spent hours with the president helping him prepare for the debate against Joe Biden in early October.
Christie was one of many people connected to the president and White House who tested positive for COVID-19. The president, First Lady Melania Trump, Barron Trump, counselor Hope Hicks, top aide Stephen Miller, former counselor Kellyanne Conway, and more in the president’s orbit have tested positive.
“No one should be happy to get the virus and no one should be cavalier about being infected or infecting others,” Christie warned.
Mr. Trump has since said he feels better than he did before he contracted COVID-19, insisting he feels well enough to “kiss” the men and women in the audience.
Christie also said, “Every public official, regardless of party or position, should advocate for every American to wear a mask in public, appropriately socially distance and to wash your hands frequently every day.”
Kathryn Watson contributed to this report.
