Setback for Kamala Harris as team member tests positive for coronavirus

US Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris has suffered a setback in her campaign after one of her team members tested positive for coronavirus.

Furthermore, a flight crew member also tested positive for COVID-19, putting a dent in Harris' plans to travel to North Carolina.

"I wasn't in close contact — as defined by the CDC — with either during the 2 days prior to their positive tests," wrote the VP nominee.

She said that she had tested negative twice this week and is not experiencing any symptoms.

She has, however, canceled travel plans through Sunday as a precaution, the Biden campaign said in a statement, adding that she will be tested again on Thursday.

In the meanwhile, she will continue to campaign online.

Harris said that she will be "transparent" about the test results she receives. She went on to urge everyone to wear a mask, practice social distancing and wash their hands regularly. "It is possible to stop the spread," she said.

According to Reuters, Harris had planned an aggressive travel schedule in the run-up to the November 3 election between her running mate Joe Biden and President Donald Trump.

She was scheduled to appear in North Carolina on Thursday, a competitive battleground state where early voting just started and Trump is due to campaign as well.

But the campaign said it learned late on Wednesday that Harris' communications director, Liz Allen, and a flight crew member had tested positive for the virus. Both traveled with the Democratic senator during a campaign trip in Arizona on October 8.

Harris wore a mask during the flight she shared with Allen and the flight crew member, who both tested negative before and after the flight.

The coronavirus pandemic has hit the United States particularly hard, killing more people than any other country, and upending the 2020 presidential race.

Democrats especially have increased their use of virtual campaigning, fundraising and get-out-the-vote efforts to limit the spread and avoid unnecessary health risks.

Trump contracted the virus himself earlier this month, leaving him sidelined from his signature campaign rallies, which have continued to draw large crowds and many attendees without protective masks.

Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff, planned to cancel his travel on Thursday but resume in-person events on Friday since he and Harris have tested negative multiple times, the Biden campaign said.