Jon Huntsman Jr. tests positive for COVID-19

In this May 2020 file photo, former Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. speaks with voters are a meet and greet even held in Washington City, Utah, May 22, 2020 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — After believing his most recent test came back negative, Utah gubernatorial candidate Jon Huntsman Jr. announced that a second test has confirmed he is positive for COVID-19.

“After a second try, test results came back positive for Covid-19,” Huntsman said Wednesday morning on Twitter. “Have been experiencing classic symptoms…like so many others, my goal is to keep my family safe.”

After learning that a member of his campaign staff had tested positive, Huntsman got the first test last week and went into voluntary quarantine, canceling all public appearances. According to The Associated Press, Huntsman announced Tuesday that the Salt Lake County Health Department had given him “wrong results” to the first test.

The Deseret News reported Tuesday that three staff members had been confirmed as testing positive for COVID-19.

Huntsman is one of four GOP candidates for Utah governor facing off in the primary election this month. The candidate visited St. George for a campaign stop in May.

When asked specifically about the coronavirus during the visit, Huntsman told St. George News that he questioned some aspects of how the state had handled the pandemic so far but gave a “shout out” to health professionals who he said are doing the best they can with the information they have while educating the public.

In Wednesday’s tweet, Huntsman said that although he was “isolated temporarily,” he wasn’t slowing down on the campaign trail.

“We’ve never been more energized in this important race for Governor,” he wrote. “The work goes on!”

This is a developing story.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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