Former US president Trump's Mar-a-Lago club partially closed due to COVID outbreak

That''s according to several people familiar with the situation, including a club member who received a phone call informing them about the closure Friday. A receptionist at the Mar-a-Lago club confirmed the news, saying it was closed until further notice, but declined to comment further. 

A person familiar with club operations said that, out of an abundance of caution, they had “partially closed” a “section of the club” for a short period of time and quarantined some of its workers. 

The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the situation by name. The number of cases, what portions of the club were closed or how it was affecting the former first family weren''t immediately clear. 

Representatives for Trump and the Florida Department of Health did not immediately respond to a phone call and email Friday seeking comment. 

Trump moved to Mar-a-Lago after leaving Washington in January, and has spent the weeks since then laying low, golfing, dining with friends, meeting with Republican party leaders and plotting his political future as he considers running again in 2024. 

Trump was hospitalised with COVID last fall and has since been vaccinated against the virus. 

Mar-a-Lago was the site of his first known exposure more than a year ago. A senior Brazilian official tested positive last year after spending time at Mar-a-Lago club, where he posed for a photo next to Trump and attended a family birthday party. 

The Trump White House was hit with several subsequent outbreaks after it flouted virus precautions by resisting mask-wearing and continuing to hold large events.