Pennsylvania Gov Tom Wolf, 72, tests positive for COVID-19 'despite following all precautions' but insists he has 'no symptoms' and is 'feeling well' while quarantining at home

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf said on Wednesday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolating at home just two days after appearing at a virtual news conference in which he warned of new lockdown measures to contain the spread of the virus.

The second-term Democrat said a routine test on Tuesday detected the coronavirus.

'I have no symptoms and am feeling well,' Wolf said in a statement. 

'I am following CDC and Department of Health guidelines.'

Wolf's spouse, Frances Wolf, has been tested but has not received the result, Wolf said. 

She is quarantining with him at their home in Mount Wolf, near York.

Wolf is one of several governors who have tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19, including the governors of Oklahoma, Missouri, Virginia, Nevada and Colorado. 

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf (seen left at a news conference in Harrisburg on Monday and right in a file photo) announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19 

'During a routine test yesterday, I tested positive for COVID-19,' Governor Tom Wolf tweeted on Wednesday

Wolf said he is continuing to work remotely 'as many are doing during the pandemic'

'As the virus rages, my positive test is a reminder that no one is immune from COVID,' the governor tweeted

'I ask all Pennsylvanians to wear a mask, stay home as much as possible, socially distance yourself from those not in your household, and, most of all, take care of each other and stay safe,' Wolf tweeted

President Donald Trump also contracted the virus.

Wolf, who is 72, said he continues to work remotely.

Wolf's public schedule for the past week had just one event - a virtual news conference about the pandemic on Monday where he appeared along with his health secretary, Dr. Rachel Levine, and one of her deputies. 

All wore masks as they took turns at the podium.

His spokesperson, Lyndsay Kensinger, said others were tested at the same time, but she said federal health privacy rules prevented her from identifying them.

Nearly a month ago, the Wolf administration strengthened its mask mandate and required out-of-state travelers to test negative for the coronavirus before arrival. 

Wolf's only public appearance this past week was alongside his state's secretary of health, Dr. Rachel Levine, and her deputy at a news conference in Harrisburg on Monday. Levine's deputy was also there. There is no word if Levine or her deputy have tested positive

Pennsylvania is averaging about 10,000 new confirmed cases per day, up more than 50 per cent in two weeks

The state is averaging 140 deaths per day, up 64 per cent since November 24. The increasing number of hospitalizations has prompted Wolf to consider new mitigation measures

But infections, hospitalizations and deaths have continued to increase sharply in the state, prompting Wolf to reveal Monday that he is considering new mitigation measures. 

Pennsylvania is averaging about 10,000 new confirmed cases per day, up more than 50 per cent in two weeks, according to an AP analysis of data from The COVID Tracking Project. 

Hospitalizations have risen tenfold this fall. 

The state is averaging 140 deaths per day, up 64 per cent since November 24.

'Over the course of the past two weeks, unfortunately, Pennsylvania's situation has become even more dire, and I find myself here saying things I really, really wish I didn’t have to say,' Wolf said at the virtual news conference on Monday. 

'If we don't slow the spread of this dangerous virus now, the reality is that COVID-19 will overwhelm our hospitals, will overwhelm our health care system.' 

Wolf has repeatedly urged people to wear masks and to avoid congregating, and usually opens his broadcast news conferences by conspicuously using hand sanitizer.

'As this virus rages, my positive test is a reminder that no one is immune from COVID, that following all precautions as I have done is not a guarantee, but it is what we know to be vital to stopping the spread of the disease,' he said on Wednesday.

Wolf is a former state revenue secretary and businessman who spent more than $10million of his own money to win the Democratic gubernatorial primary nearly six years ago. 

He easily won reelection in 2018.