Biden to 'minimize contact' on Middle East trip due to COVID concerns, says press secretary

The White House said Wednesday that President Biden will on his Middle East trip attempt to "minimize" physical contact with other officials due to the rise of new COVID-19 variants.

"The president takes a range of COVID precautions and additional ones when he travels. We’re trying to minimize contact as much as possible where we can," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One.

Her comments follow a report that the White House had informed Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid's office that the U.S. leader would avoid shaking hands during his visit.

Jean-Pierre said that the decision was made due to a recommendation from Biden's doctor and not because he was attempting to avoid being photographed shaking hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his visit to Saudi Arabia.

At present, the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of the COVID omicron variant comprise the majority of cases in the U.S. and are on the rise globally. Earlier this week, White House health officials briefed reporters on a plan to combat the surging BA.5 variant, which focused primarily on continuing the vaccine campaign and precautions like testing and masking.

Though the 79-year-old Biden has participated in a number of large events at the White House and across the country, officials say they take extra precautions around the president to protect him from contracting the virus, including testing officials before they come into close contact with him and requiring the usage of masks during West Wing meetings.

Biden is vaccinated and boosted and tested negative prior to departing for the international trip.