WASHINGTON (AP) — Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he was wrong not to wear a mask at the White House, where he and President Donald Trump both came down with the coronavirus. Christie, in a statement, says he has recovered from COVID-19 after a weeklong stay in a hospital intensive care unit. He says: “I believed that when I entered the White House grounds, that I had entered a safe zone, due to the testing that and I and many others underwent every day. I was wrong.” Christie is also calling on all political leaders to advocate for face coverings, with the practice becoming increasingly politicized even as the pandemic has killed more than 217,000 Americans.

.@ABC NEWS EXCLUSIVE: @GovChristie talks to our @GStephanopoulos for the first time since he tested positive for coronavirus. “I let my guard down for a couple of days inside the White House grounds and it cost me in a significant way.” https://t.co/aYZI2LnNcV pic.twitter.com/h12I8IpPjj

— Good Morning America (@GMA) October 16, 2020