Washington (AFP) - A Republican candidate for the US Senate announced on Thursday that he was going into quarantine after coming into contact with someone with Covid-19, just days ahead of a pair of crucial runoff elections in Georgia.
Senator David Perdue is locked in a tight race with Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff for one of two Senate seats for Georgia up for grabs on Tuesday.
Perdue's campaign said he was notified on Thursday that the senator had come into contact with someone on the campaign who tested positive for coronavirus.
"Senator Perdue and his wife tested negative today, but following his doctor's recommendations... they will quarantine," it said.
The elections in Georgia on Tuesday for the southern state's two Senate seats are closely watched as they will determine which party controls the body.
The other Senate race -- between Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler and Democratic challenger Raphael Warnock -- is also extremely close, according to the polls.
President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden are scheduled to visit Georgia on Monday to campaign for their party's candidates.
Republicans currently hold 50 seats in the Senate, and a victory in just one of the Georgia races will give them a majority and the ability to hamstring Biden's agenda after he takes office on January 20.
If Democrats win the two Senate seats they will also have 50 seats but will have a majority because the vice president, Kamala Harris, can cast tie-breaking votes.
Georgia has been reliably Republican but Biden narrowly defeated Trump there in the November 3 election, becoming the first Democrat to win the state since Bill Clinton in 1992.
