WASHINGTON (BLOOMBERG) - US Interior Secretary David Bernhardt tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday (Dec 16) before a planned meeting with President Donald Trump.

Mr Bernhardt did not attend the meeting after his positive result, which was received during routine screening at the White House. The White House did not include him on a list of Cabinet members who attended the mid-day session.

"He is currently asymptomatic and will continue to work on behalf of the American people while in quarantine," Interior spokesman Nicholas Goodwin said in an e-mail.

Mr Bernhardt's positive test result was first reported by The Washington Post.

It comes after a flurry of encounters with top political appointees at the Interior Department and a ceremony to unveil the portrait of former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke last week.