Local officials are joining leaders around the world in wishing President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump a swift recovery after news broke that the pair were positive for COVID-19.

The president revealed the diagnosis via Twitter around 1 a.m. Friday. Within a matter of hours, the tweet became the president’s most-liked, receiving more than 1.5 million likes and more than 875,000 retweets by 1 p.m.

The White House announced the president’s symptoms were mild, though a later announcement said the president would be spending a few days at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center as a precautionary measure. Trump is expected to work from the hospital’s presidential suite, allowing him to continue his official duties.

Noah Wahl, chairman of the Limestone GOP, said he’s concerned any time he hears someone get diagnosed with COVID-19, but he’s optimistic the president will recover quickly.

“It’s unfortunate that it happened this close to the election, but I know the president is strong and he’ll get through it,” Wahl said. “President Trump has done a good job being an example of strong leadership and not showing a tremendous amount of fear about the virus.”

The diagnosis came just days after campaign rallies and a debate between the president and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Biden and Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris have announced they tested negative for the virus, as have Vice President Mike Pence, second lady Karen Pence, Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett and the Trumps’ youngest son, Barron.

However, multiple White House officials close to the president have tested positive. Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks and Limestone County Commission Chairman Collin Daly each sent their well wishes to the first family Friday, as well as to anyone who might be affected by the virus.

“We’re keeping all those impacted by COVID-19 and certainly the president and leader of our country and his family in our thoughts and prayers,” Marks said.

Daly echoed the sentiment, adding Limestone County wishes them “a full and speedy recovery.”

Wahl noted the president is by no means the first world leader to test positive for COVID-19. According to Johns Hopkins University, nearly 34.5 million cases have been reported across the globe, with 7.3 million of them occurring in the U.S., and several world leaders and high-ranking officials have found themselves in those groups.

“Boris Johnson, (prime minister) in England, he had it a long time ago,” Wahl said. “It’s nothing new to have leaders come down with this. … Our president has been fortunate not to have it before now.”

The president’s campaign manager announced Friday that all campaign events involving the president and his family will either be turned into virtual events or postponed until further notice. It was not clear before The News Courier’s press deadline how this would affect the upcoming presidential debates, which are currently set for Oct. 15 and 22.

The vice presidential debate was still expected to continue as planned. It’s scheduled for 8–9:30 p.m. Wednesday.

—The Associated Press contributed to this report.