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New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy tested positive for COVID-19 after the family’s controversial trip to Costa Rica over the Christmas holiday.
“The Governor and First Lady tested themselves due to a recent known non-family contact in their home. Required procedures for reporting, case investigation, and contact tracing have been followed,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s office said in a statement Sunday.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, Pool)
Murphy and the couple’s four children all tested negative but will continue to be tested in the coming days, according to reporting from North Jersey.com.
The Democratic governor and his wife are both vaccinated, and Murphy will continue with a normal schedule but will wear a mask at public events.
The positive test comes after Murphy faced criticism for a holiday vacation to Costa Rica despite the emergence and spread of the omicron variant in recent weeks, with the seven-day rolling average of cases in New Jersey reaching over 14,000 before he departed on his trip Dec. 22.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and family. (Photo by Bobby Bank/Getty Images)
Asked last week if he believed the trip was appropriate given the surge in cases in his state, Murphy said his family needed the time together.
“We’re going to spend some time together as a family,” Murphy said. “Please God, we need that.”
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Murphy has become one of the country’s most controversial governors throughout the pandemic, with his heavy-handed restrictions ranking among the most strict.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
The New Jersey governor narrowly won his bid for reelection earlier this year in a closer-than-expected race, besting upstart GOP nominee Jack Ciatterelli by less than three percentage points.
Murphy’s office could not be immediately reached for comment by Fox News.